Ocean's Eleven

As remakes go - I think we will struggle to find one that is better than this across any genre. It's not just that the cast is full of A-listers, it is that Steven Soderbergh has invested just as much time with his story and with the characterisations as he has with the visuals, the gadgets and, of course, just about everyone from Brad Pitt and George Clooney to Julia Roberts and Matt Damon. The premiss being that Clooney "Danny" assembles a group of skilled operators with a view to relieving casino owner "Benedict" (Andy Garcia) of a great deal of money. Their planning must be meticulous - each having their set tasks that they must deliver precisely to support the overall - dangerous - plan. All looks to be going along well until the boys discover that Julia Roberts ("Tess") - the ex-wife of their leader - is now dating their mark. Could that compromise their entire operation? The action builds well, here - the contributions from each - especially, for me anyway, Carl Reiner as the curmudgeonly "Saul" and Shaobo Qin as the lithe and supple gymnast "Yen" - who reminded me somewhat of Burt Lancaster's equally acrobatic buddy Nick Cravat - are charismatic, enjoyable and impressively they all gel quite well too. The ending is a masterstroke, and there is a suitably fitting "Clair de Lune" to sign it all off. Good entertainment all round.