Harry here with that cankerhoer Massawyrm with his views on OCEAN'S ELEVEN. Hopefully I'll be able to see this, this week before Butt Numb A Thon on Saturday, but that's all dependent on my car surviving surgury at the local Automobile HMO. Damn no-national health care program, fucking government's just laying by while my car shivers and dies... Say a prayer for my car will ya? Meanwhile, here's a guy that isn't entirely convinced that Soderbergh is a great filmmaker... ahem... right, read on...

Hola all. Everyone's favorite Chain-smoking, Dr. Pepper swilling, indie schilling hipster here just having returned from this season's ultra cool dose of swank- Oceans 11. Now, before I begin talking about just how much I loved this film let me lay a few things down. Unlike many of the other contributors here at AICN I am not in love with Soderbergh. I have never disliked any of his films, but at the same time only a few of them stuck out as truly great pieces of cinema in my mind. But I feel, as I always have, that he is a gifted director and that every single film of his is worth a look. I guess if I were to boil down what it is that keeps Soderbergh from being in my personal pantheon of genius directors it would have to be his signature experimental shooting style. You know, those sequences he has in almost all his movies that just seem to come out of left field or that harkens back to another era of filmmaking. Sometimes these sequences just scream of sheer brilliance and sometimes they strike me as overly gimmicky and turn me off to the scene. But all in all, I like his work; I'm just not one who normally sings his praises.

However, that being said, Soderbergh has turned in one hell of a rollicking romp of a heist film; an ensemble delight that breathes cool with every exhalation of its perfect cast. Yes, I said perfect cast. Even Casey Affleck turns in a highly amusing performance in the role he was born to play: someone's little brother. There just isn't a weak link in this cast whatsoever. Everyone pulls their own weight gloriously. And unlike many ensemble films, this film is completely missing any and all grandstanding. No one over acts or is over emphasized. Each actor is given just the right amount of time and space without you constantly thinking "Wow...that's Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Matt Damon all in the same shot." You watch it, you see it, you buy it.

There are a few cast members of note, however, who really stand out in the crowd. Don Cheadle is amazing as always, this time in a character that seems as out there as Brad Pitt's Pikey Boxer from Snatch. He's a British demolitions expert and is funny virtually every moment he's on the screen. Likewise the aforementioned Casey Affleck and Scott Caan turn in hilarious performances as a pair of hick brothers serving as the Steve Zahn driver without a clue role. Think Dumb and Dumber if they had only gone far enough to make it funny and not ridiculous. And then there's Andy Garcia who seems so comfortable in the role of the heavy its a wonder he's always hired to play the nice guy in most of his films. When he's on the screen he is pure controlled menace. A real threat without being a cartoon.

But the real star of this film is the writing. This film is just clever at every turn, with perfect comedic flair and wry timing that keep you laughing from start to finish. Top that off with one of those "I woulda never thought of that" con sequences that never fails to deliver on the twists and you have for one enjoyable film.

While this film is a fun romp, it is not perfect. Some detractors have already noted it's lack of character development (it has virtually zero development and fails to even fully introduce us to some of the characters) and there are a few of those aforementioned Soderbergh experimental shots that will leave some viewers scratching their heads as to why they were shot that way. But at its base, this film never seems to intend to aspire to be more than a fun heist movie and both of these issues are easily cast aside as the mood of the movie takes you along for a ride. The only issue that bothered me is that while it seems like a film that should wrap itself up nice and neat at the end, it instead leaves you hanging a bit. Not a whole lot, but enough that some people are gonna walk out frustrated asking "But what the hell happens?!?" Me, I shrugged it off. The rest of the resolution was fine enough for me. I had my fun and dealt with it. But it is there and it will bug people.

But the long and the short of it is that its a good solid film. If you dug Soderbergh's "Out of Sight", odds are you're gonna dig Oceans 11 as well.

Until Next time friends, smoke 'em if ya got 'em...I know I will.

E-mail Me and Snail Mail me vials of pure nicotine juice, I love injecting them into my head!