Danny Ocean is a man who loves danger. His pursuit for adventure is about to lead him to the biggest heist in the History of Las Vegas. He plans to steal money from several casinos at once and walk away without getting caught, but first he must assemble a group of individuals that are capable of pulling it off. Danny Ocean (Frank Sinatra), Jimmy Foster (Peter Lawford), Roger Corneal (Henry Silva), Sam Harmon (Dean Martin), Vince Massler (Buddy Lester), Josh Howard (Sammy Davies Jr.), Tony Bergdorf (Richard Conte), and Spyros Acebos (Akim Tamirofff form the group of individuals looking to pull the heist, but can the thought of robbing the most secured money in Las Vegas be too much for the group to handle
Another one of the Rat Pack’s best movies, I’m sure I’m exaggerating, but for its time Ocean’s Eleven is still a smart film. It’s difficult to not consider thinking about the recent remake with George Clooney since the younger generation of viewers will probably stick with it, but those of us who likes to explore where a film originated from this movie is perfectly fine. However, it is instantly noticeable how much difference there is between the two films, even with the similar idea in place. The Rat Pack does bring a different environment to the film and if the movie had not been made back in the 60’s I am not sure if it would had worked the way it did.
When you look back and you realize the time when this film was released, something are just simply corny. But the Rat Pack seems to have permission freely do things they do best, be flirtatious and charming. However, things couldn’t have worked so well without a good script. The dialogue is charming and smart, quirky and random. Just when you don’t expect a comic relief there is one and it even seems to be very random. Often times, jokes come after a key scene and while they seem mistimed they sometimes work well. The cast was good and each brings their own spice into the mix.
Ocean’s 11 arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p VC-1 encode framed at 2.40: 1. Warner has done and exceptional job with this release. It’s not eye candy per say, but considering the film’s age it looks fantastic. Colors are well reproduced. Skin tones look natural and rarely do they get overdone. Contrast is spot on. Detailing is somewhat inconsistent, during day time shots details are well rendered and look great throughout, but during nighttime shots details tend to suffer with various soft shots. There are a few issues like artifacts during night time shots and some DNR, the latter is rather reduced. The film is topped with a nice layer of grain that helps the movie retain the original look of the film. Ocean’s 11 look great on Blu-ray.
Ocean’s 11 arrives on Blu-ray with a DTS-HD Master Audio Mono soundtrack. Dialogue is clear with great prioritization throughout, but a few scenes feature some muffled dialogue. Obviously, the film doesn’t offer a 5.1 track which leaves us with practically no subtle sound effects, no bass, and nothing to really talk about. The mono track is solid so if there are no complaints there. Purist will no doubt enjoy this release.
Audio Commentary – This track allows Frank Sinatra Jr. and Angie Dickinson to talk about the film. There seems to be some disconnection between the two speakers (both tracks were recorded separately) and there is far too much silent time in between. Sinatra talks about the production and sharing a few points of view. Dickinson shares a few anecdotes and that pretty much sums up the track.
Vegas Map – Features quick videos with history of the five Vegas casinos featured on the film.
The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson – Frank Sinatra is a guest on the Johnny Carson show.
Tropicana Museum Vignette
Theatrical Trailers
Ocean’s 11 is a 60’s product and it is very obvious what should be expected once it begins to playback. Warner’s presentation is sticks very close to the source with a proper video and mono audiotrack. Fans of the DVD can now replace their copy of the film with a higher quality. Fans of the era will surely be pleased with this product.
