"Ocean's Eleven" just arrived on Netflix this month, and I've already queued it up to play once since it arrived. Nearly 24 years later, it's still my favorite heist movie ever, and might be my favorite Steven Soderbergh movie ever, even if I'll admit he's made better movies both before and since.
Soderbergh was already one of the hottest directors out there by the time he directed "Ocean's Eleven." He had won a Palm d'Or at Cannes for his debut film "Sex, Lies and Videotape" and two days into filming his now iconic heist movie, he was nominated for Best Director twice at the 73rd Academy Awards, first for "Erin Brockovich" and again for "Traffic," which ultimately won the Oscar.
As incredible as those award-winning movies are, though, it's "Ocean's Eleven" I find myself watching time and time again.
A remake of a 1960 movie starring Frank Sinatra, this movie featured a deep ensemble cast led by George Clooney and Brad Pitt, both of whom were entering the peak of their stardom. This creates an interesting juxtaposition within the movie that makes it stand out all these years later.
On its face, "Ocean's Eleven" is an ensemble movie, and to be clear, that ensemble is still maybe one of the best ever assembled in terms of the end product it produced and on-screen chemistry.
But the movie and everyone in it exist in Clooney and Pitt's orbit. They're ultimately the driving force behind what makes this movie great, and while with a lesser ensemble cast, parts of this movie may fall flat, it simply wouldn't have worked at all without the chemistry between Clooney and Pitt.
What is 'Ocean's Eleven' about?
If for some reason you've never seen "Ocean's Eleven" — which, given its $450.7 million box office and subsequent prevalence on cable TV, would be impressive — here's the lowdown on this heist comedy.
As previously mentioned, the movie has a deep ensemble cast. But it starts with just professional thief and con-man Danny Ocean (Clooney), who is freshly released from prison and already planning his next score.
To do his heist, he needs a team, and he needs his former partner Rusty (Pitt). When Danny reveals the mark — three Las Vegas casinos owned by Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) — they go to the one guy who hates Benedict more than anyone else: Reuben (Elliott Gould).
Once Reuben learns they're going after Benedict, he agrees to bankroll their operation. Now a trio, they bring in eight thieves, con-men and grifters with connections to their collective pasts — a cast of characters played by a murderer's row of actors that includes Matt Damon, Bernie Mac, Don Cheadle and Carl Reiner.
George Clooney and Brad Pitt are still electric all these years later
If you've seen the movie before, you know I've left off a key member of the cast: Julia Roberts as Tess, the current girlfriend of Benedict and the one person who could ruin the entire plan.
Why could Tess throw a wrench in everything? Well, the reason is portrayed as a twist in the movie, so even though it's in the trailer, I won't spoil it here.
But it doesn't matter anyway. As important as she is, Clooney and Pitt are the reason to watch this movie, and their scenes together alone are worth the price of admission.
Don't believe me? Just watch the short clip above. While Pitt doesn't say a word the entire time, he and Clooney are having a full conversation, loaded with context of their collective backstory.
You don't even need to mine the scene for subtext. It's all right there on the screen, and you don't need a critic to see it despite the lack of dialogue on Pitt's part.
So go ahead. Open up Netflix and hit play on "Ocean's Eleven." Whether it's your first time watching it or your hundredth time (I'm somewhere in between), it'll be a great time well worth the two hours you spend watching it.
Stream "Ocean's Eleven" on Netflix now
Malcolm has been with Tom's Guide since 2022, and has been covering the latest in streaming shows and movies since 2023. He's not one to shy away from a hot take, including that "John Wick" is one of the four greatest films ever made.
Here's what he's been watching lately:
- 'Welcome to Wrexham' season 4 sees Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds go for broke — can they go 'back-to-back-to-back'?
- Apple TV Plus' new sci-fi action comedy is definitely worth watching — there's just one problem
- Netflix's new raunchy comedy show with Tom Segura just crashed the top 10 — should you stream it or skip it?
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