Ocean's Eleven (1960)

Sorry, this movie sucks

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Danny Ocean calls on old buddies from his World War II unit to pull off a heist on five casinos in Las Vegas at the same time on New Year's Eve. As the crew attempt the perfect robbery, a series of events and the snooping of a former gangster threaten to thwart their carefully laid plan.It seems not everyone is even aware that the 2001 Ocean's 11 is a remake of a Rat Pack caper from before man lands on the moon. Indeed a line of dialogue really dates the film: when Danny Ocean (played by Frank Sinatra) is asked why no-one's done the heist before if it's so fool-proof, he responds with "Same reason nobody's gone to the moon yet - no equipment. But we're equipped." The suave dialogue between the huge cast pops with 1960s swing culture whether it's through a sassy one-liner, an obvious set-up leading to a rewarding pay-off, or a smarts-riddle back and forth between men in sharp suits and slicked hairstyles.Naturally for a film from this era, there are more than a couple of moments which should be taken with a hefty pinch of feminist salt. In one scene, two of the gang are receiving massages and it's heavily suggested the two women are open to the idea of impromptu prostitution. In another, Sinatra tempts his estranged wife to get back together with him by sliding his hotel room key down the front of her dress. Finally, Dean Martin distracts an incredibly drunk women from heist activities by making advances on her. So yeah, not exactly up to 2018 post-Weinstein standards.The plot lurches from one conversation to the next and never really feels like it's going anywhere until suddenly they're undercover in the casinos spraying doors with invisible glow in the dark paint and rigging fuse boxes in preparation for the big one. Before you realise it, the lights have gone out and they're stuffing bags with cash. The heist itself is over in a matter of moments and the rest of the film focuses on the gang's attempts to avoid suspicions of a retired gangster hired by the casino bosses to get their money back (played by Cesar Romero, the man who would go on to play the Joker in the Batman TV series). He unsurprisingly turns the screw on the gang by blackmailing them for half their loot in return for his silence.The 'shocking twist' ending you're promised on the back of the DVD case was so predictable that I even joked "what if this happens?" - little did I know that I'd unintentionally ruined the surprise. As good as this film is, the remake is superior; a better use of the cast, a better script and a better reveal all contribute to a more enjoyable cinematic experience. What you get here is a slice of classic cool (and it is cool) with some great moments but an unsatisfying ending.Best Quote: *picking up the hotel room phone* "Hello, this is a recording. You've dialled the right number - now hang up and don't do it again!"

If you've already seen the remake, you'll probably fall asleep while watching the original 1960 Ocean's 11. Gone are the quick cuts, dizzying camera angles, and snappy incidental music. I didn't like the remake, despite the extras. The egos radiating off the screen were just too much for me. It was practically grotesque, how everyone seemed to say, "Look at me! I'm remaking Ocean's 11!" And considering the amount of ego present in the original, for the remake to top it is quite remarkable.The first fifty-five minutes of the film is one gigantic set-up. All the characters are introduced and developed, and it's made abundantly clear that everyone is waiting around for a big plan to be revealed. Frank Sinatra has trouble with his wife, Angie Dickinson, and his mistress, Patrice Wymore, Peter Lawford has to adjust to his new step-father Cesar Romero, Richard Conte has just gotten out of jail and wants to reconnect with his young son; the list continues. If the first half was merely character development, it wouldn't have been so boring, but the endless, "When are we going to talk about that thing?" got very old very fast. After fifty-five minutes, we learn that the big plan is to rob five Las Vegas casinos in one night.This is a Rat Pack classic, with the gang in their natural Las Vegas habitat. Shirley MacLaine makes a silly cameo, and it feels like she just happened to be in the neighborhood and wanted to hang out with the guys. If you want to sit through a slightly boring heist movie, go ahead. But I prefer a little more excitement out of my Frank Sinatra movies, like The Man with the Golden Arm or Suddenly.

Lewis Milestone produced and directed this original (and highly successful) heist picture which featured an all-star cast headlined by the Rat Pack: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop as well as Angie Dickinson and Shirley MacLaine (the latter in an uncredited cameo). Its screenplay was written by Harry Brown and Charles Lederer from a story by George Clayton Johnson and Jack Golden Russell. Other that appear include Richard Conte, Cesar Romero, Patrice Wymore, Akim Tamiroff, Henry Silva, Norman Fell, Red Skelton (as himself) and George Raft.Sinatra plays Danny Ocean, a man addicted to danger and excitement which causes estrangement from wife Beatrice (Dickinson). His latest scheme is a grand plan to reunite his 82nd Airborne Army veteran friends – fifteen years after their acclaimed service in various World War II theaters of battle – to knock over the five main casinos (Hotel Flamingo, the Sands, Desert Inn, the Riviera, the Sahara) in Las Vegas during New Year's Eve.Among Ocean's eleven co-conspirators are Martin and Davis Jr. (who each sing a couple of songs), Lawford, Conte, Bishop, Silva and Fell; additionally there's Tamiroff, who doesn't participate in the robberies, but helped to plan and finance the operation. Lawford plays Jimmy Foster, whose soon-to-be fifth father-in-law, gangster Duke Santos (Romero), figures in the aftermath, hired by the coalition of casino managers – led by Raft's character – to find and return the stolen millions.There's a somewhat predictable twist ending.

Though I had only seen Steven Soderbergh's remake, made shortly after Frank Sinatra died, in the interim I had achieved quite an appreciation of Sinatra's work, first as a game-changing jazz vocalist and, more recently, as an actor. I picked up the 4-pack of both Milestone's original and Soderbergh's trilogy, and, having both dedicated myself to some of Milestone's films and Sinatra's appearances, decided to give the Rat Pack's version a spin. The coolness and fun of the actors rubs off nicely on the proceedings, and it's extremely enjoyable to breathe in. Both Angie Dickinson and Shirley MacLaine are great fun too, as are the Vegas mainstays that make cameos. The extras on my DVD, especially Dickinson and Sinatra talking about making the film, years later when he guest-hosted The Tonight Show, were also splendid and mad my enjoyment even more profound. I highly recommend it to anyone who thinks the remake is great. As fine as a filmmaker as Soderbergh is, it pales in comparison, because as fine as today's stars are, they just aren't The Rat Pack! Also, the ending is one of the greatest. I have always felt that comedy is the hardest genre to do, and it dates so badly, but this holds up quite nicely...