Ride the wave with entertaining 'Oceans'

By NATHAN LERNER

In the sequel to the remake of Ocean's Eleven, three years have elapsed since Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and his 11-man crew robbed $160 million from the Bellagio Hotel. Danny has abandoned crime to enjoy life with his ex-wife, Tess (Julia Roberts), whom he also stole from Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), the owner of the Bellagio. Inexplicably, Terry somehow has tracked down Danny. The cuckolded casino head demands that Danny replay him the stolen money plus interest. Otherwise, Terry's goons will kill Danny and his colleagues.

Danny summons his second-in-command, Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt), and the rest of his gang. Faced with the threat from the no-nonsense Terry Benedict, the team reunites in hopes of stealing enough money to pay him off. It's too risky trying to execute another robbery stateside. This launches the plot into gorgeous European locations in Amsterdam, Paris and Rome.

While there, the gang is hounded by Interpol agent Isabel Lahiri (Catherine Zeta-Jones). A modern day Inspector Javert, Isabel comes replete with a back story. She is driven by her deep-seated resentment toward her father, who had been a master criminal. To complicate matters further, Isabel was previously Rusty's paramour.

Danny and his crew pull off various elaborate schemes with their usual pinpoint precision. However, each time, they are preceded by a rival, Francois Tolours (Vincent Cassel). Francois is a wealthy French playboy who is driven not by money but by the thrill of outdoing his competitors.

Penned by George Nolfi, the screenplay for Ocean's Twelve sparkles with clever plotting, inventive twists and outrageously funny moments. While some viewers may be challenged by the complex storyline, the film is so briskly paced and visually engaging that it hardly matters.

Director Steven Soderbergh (Erin Brockovich, Traffic) has once again done an exceptional job. He has successfully coddled the ego needs of his star-studded ensemble (which also includes Matt Damon, Bruce Willis and Bernie Mac).

With an original screenplay, strong cast, expert direction and sterling production values, this eminently entertaining sequel actually exceeds the precursor. Ocean's Twelve succeeds not only as a taut crime caper but as an unexpectedly funny one.

***1/2 PG-13 (for language) 124 minutes