Ocean's Eleven improves on 1960's Rat Pack original with supernova casting, a slickly updated plot, and Steven Soderbergh's graceful touch behind the camera. Soderbergh reportedly relished the opportunity "to make a movie that has no desire except to give pleasure from beginning to end," and he succeeds on those terms, blessed by the casting of George Clooney as Danny Ocean, the title role originated by Frank Sinatra.
Dennis Peck knows his way around the law. He can launder money, run a scam, fix a bad rap. He can even, for the right price, arrange a murder. "Trust me," he says, "I'm a cop." Richard Gere is Peck and Andy Garcia is Raymond Avila, the investigator determined to bring Peck to justice in this supercharged police thriller. Peck isn't going down without a fight. The slick, cold-blooded manipulator intends to take Avila's career, his marriage and even his sanity with him in Internal Affairs. "A fine tight script," says Gary Franklin (KABC-TV).
The Godfather, Part III (1990, 170 min.) - Now in his 60's, Michael Corleone is dominated by two passions: freeing his family from crime, and finding a suitable successor. That successor could be fiery Vincent (Andy Garcia), but he may also be the spark that turns Michael's hope of business legitimacy into an inferno of mob violence. This special collection also includes an additional disc containing over 3 hours of bonus material.
Bathed in self-conscious cool, Confidence is a heist caper in which the heist is unimportant. As you might expect from Glengarry Glen Ross director James Foley, this pulpy concoction is more interested in giving good actors a lot of hip, salty dialogue as they scheme their way to the royal scam. It's a poor man's Ocean's Eleven, just as enjoyable in its own way, beginning when con artist Jake (Edward Burns) discovers he's accidentally stolen from an eccentric crime boss (Dustin Hoffman, oozing threat in a fine character turn).
