Yes, of a 1960 Rat Pack film. However, Soderbergh's version is widely considered superior, replacing the loose plot of the original with a tight, clever heist structure.

How did they get the SWAT gear in?

They *were* the SWAT team. By calling in a fake emergency, they walked the money out the front door disguised as police officers. It is the ultimate misdirection.

Why rob three casinos?

Ambition and revenge. All three are owned by Terry Benedict, who is dating Danny's ex-wife. The difficulty makes the success sweeter.

Did they keep the money?

Yes, they walked away with $150 million. The final scene shows them disbanding, rich and free, staring at the Bellagio fountains.

Ocean's Eleven (2001) - Best Heist Thriller Movies

Name: Ocean's Eleven
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Genre: Crime, Thriller, Drama
Released: 2001
Rating: 7.8
Cast: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon

Collection

Heist Complexity: 89/100

"An ensemble caper with wit, charm, and elaborate casino heists executed with style."

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Heist Complexity

Less than 24 hours after his parole, charismatic thief Danny Ocean is already planning the most ambitious heist in history: robbing three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously. To pull off the impossible $150 million score, he handpicks an elite team of eleven specialists. With a ruthless casino owner watching their every move, they have to be smarter, faster, and cooler than anyone else in the room. Are you in or out?

Ocean's Eleven

2001•Steven Soderbergh•120 min•R

The Experience

Cast & Crew

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Starring: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon

Production Details

Budget: $85 million

Box Office: $450.7 million

Age Rating:R

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Content Advisory

Contains: Mature Content

1:50:50 → 1:50:55

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Kissing

Mild

Viewer Discretion Advised

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INTENSITY GRAPH
Intensity Graph
Shows plot intensity
throughout the movie. Higher peaks
indicate more intense moments.

Narrative Analysis

Planning the Heist(45%)

Recruiting Team(70%)

Casino Infiltration(80%)

Robbery Execution(85%)

Escape(90%)

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CINEMATIC DNA
Genre DNA Breakdown
Visual representation of the movie's
genre composition. Larger segments
indicate dominant genre elements.

Genre Analysis

Crime

60%

Thriller

30%

Drama

10%

Community Reviews

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FAQs: Understanding Ocean's Eleven

Dive deeper into the planning, the execution, and the cinematic legacy of Ocean's Eleven. Warning: Some answers may contain spoilers.

The film uses a 'lying flashback' or concealed narrative technique. The audience is shown the planning stages, but key details (like the SWAT team involvement) are deliberately withheld. This allows the audience to be tricked alongside the villain, Terry Benedict. The climax works because we realize we were watching the distraction, not the main event, recontextualizing the entire third act.

The final scene in front of the Bellagio fountains is the only moment the entire team stands still together. Set to Debussy's 'Clair de Lune,' it provides a moment of serene beauty and melancholy after the kinetic energy of the heist. It symbolizes the fleeting nature of their victory—they disband one by one, disappearing into the night, emphasizing that they are ghosts in the machine.

A great heist needs a villain who 'deserves' to be robbed. Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) is portrayed as cold, corporate, and ruthless—he cares more about money than people. This provides the moral justification for the thieves. Stealing from him feels like an act of karma rather than a crime, allowing the audience to root for the criminals without guilt.

Yes, the cast spent their downtime gambling in the casinos where they were filming. Reportedly, George Clooney was the unlucky one, losing heavily at the blackjack tables, while Brad Pitt and Matt Damon fared better. This off-screen camaraderie and risk-taking translated directly into their on-screen chemistry, giving the 'Rat Pack' dynamic authenticity.

The 'Pinch' is an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) device used to knock out the power grid in Las Vegas. While the science in the film is exaggerated (a device that small couldn't blackout a city), it serves as the crucial plot device that forces the casino to reboot its security systems, creating the 30-second window of darkness necessary for the crew to breach the vault undetected.

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Ocean's Eleven (2001) - Best Heist Thriller Movies | Filmiway