Why the most divisive Ocean's film is also the director's personal favorite
In short: Ocean's Twelve remains the franchise's most polarizing entry, praised by some for its meta-humor and criticized by others for a plot-negating twist. While critics found it smug and illogical, director Steven Soderbergh considers it his favorite of the trilogy. Discover how a real-life pregnancy reshaped this globetrotting heist.
Released in 2004, Ocean's Twelve picks up with Danny Ocean’s crew facing a $198 million debt to Terry Benedict. The film follows the group as they attempt a series of heists across Europe to settle their accounts, only to find themselves outmaneuvered by a rival master thief, François Toulour, known as the Night Fox. The narrative is defined by its complex, layered schemes, including a high-stakes bet involving the theft of an Imperial Coronation Fabergé egg.
The production was notably ambitious, filming in locations ranging from Amsterdam and Paris to Lake Como and Rome. The script underwent significant revisions when Julia Roberts, who plays Tess Ocean, became pregnant with twins during development. This real-world change was integrated into the plot, with the character posing as a pregnant version of herself to infiltrate the museum heist. The film’s final act, which reveals that the crew had already secured the egg, was a point of contention for critics like Stephen Hunter, who argued it rendered the preceding narrative events meaningless.
Despite its mixed critical reception—holding a 55% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes—the film remains a unique artifact of 2000s cinema. It features a sprawling ensemble cast including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Catherine Zeta-Jones, and is underscored by a distinct soundtrack from David Holmes. While audiences and critics alike often rank it as the lowest of the trilogy, its self-aware, droll wit and focus on character behavior over traditional heist mechanics continue to spark debate among fans of the franchise.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Ocean's Twelve
- Also: Wikidata — Ocean's Twelve · CC0
- Also: Wikidata — Ocean's Twelve · CC0
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