Oceans Twelve - Brad Pitt as Rusty

Description:

Ocean's Twelve is a 2004 film that takes place after the events of the 2001 movie Ocean's Eleven. Like its predecessor the film is directed by Steven Soderbergh. The film was released in the United States on December 10, 2004 starring George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon.

In spite of extremely high box office expectations, and a promising opening weekend, Ocean's Twelve was not a very big box office hit, at least not compared to Ocean's Eleven. As of April 12, 2005, the movie grossed about US$125 million while Ocean's Eleven made about $184 million in its entire box office run.

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Movie Overview:


Plot Summary
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The film stars George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon as a team committing robberies in Amsterdam, Paris and Rome to pay off their nemesis, Las Vegas casino mogul Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), who has tracked them down since the events of the previous movie. As well as being a playful twist on the naming of sequels, the "twelve" in the title refers to the gang of eleven in the original film plus Ocean's wife Tess (played by Julia Roberts).

New to the ensemble from the previous film is Catherine Zeta-Jones as Europol detective Isabel Lahiri.

They try to steal the oldest stock certificate in the world in Amsterdam and later a Fabergé egg in Italy.


Plot Synopsis
Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.
George Clooney as Danny Ocean.
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George Clooney as Danny Ocean.

Rome: Three and a Half Years Ago

Robert “Rusty” Ryan returns to the apartment in Rome he shares with Europol detective Isabel Lahiri (Catherine Zeta-Jones). Isabel reveals to him that she has a strong lead on who did the “Bulgari Job”. Rusty decides to leave through the window before Isabel can identify him as the thief.
Andy Garcia as Terry Benedict.
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Andy Garcia as Terry Benedict.

In the three years since “Ocean’s Eleven” carried out the theft of $162 million from Las Vegas casino owner Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), the gang have all retired from larceny and are pursuing their separate passions:


East Haven CONNETICUT: Three and a Half Weeks Ago

Danny Ocean (George Clooney) is retired but still has a hankering for his past exploits, as when he “cases” a local bank. While Danny is away, his wife Tess (Julia Roberts) is visited by Benedict, her ex-boyfriend. She warns Danny with the code phrase “There's water in the basement, and the pilot light is out.”. Danny races home as fast as he can. Benedict tells Tess that he wants his money back in a fortnight... plus interest.

Provo UTAH

Virgil Malloy (Casey Affleck) is getting married and Turk Malloy (Scott Caan) is the best man. Benedict surprises them at the rehearsal dinner.

Miami FLORIDA

Yen (Shaobo Quin) has spent all his money on a nice house. Benedict addresses him in Chinese.

East Orange NEW JERSEY

Frank Catton (Bernie Mac) is visited by Benedict at a nail salon.

London ENGLAND

Basher Tarr (Don Cheadle) is trying his hand at being a record producer. Benedict meets him in the recording studio, playing a piano.
Benedict visits Livingston Dell.
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Benedict visits Livingston Dell.

Chicago ILLINOIS

Benedict meets Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon) in the back of his car. Linus is concerned Benedict will tell his parents.

East Hampton NEW YORK

Saul (Carl Reiner) has his credit cards cancelled by Benedict.
Rusty gets a warning from Benedict.
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Rusty gets a warning from Benedict.

New Orleans LOUISIANA

Livingston Dell (Eddie Jemison) is performing stand-up comedy. Benedict lets him finish his set first.

Las Vegas NEVADA

Ruben Tishkoff (Elliot Gould) spends his money on psychics. He chastises them when Benedict shows up unexpectedly.

West Hollywood CALIFORNIA

Rusty runs his own hotel. Benedict rings him on his cell phone, then blows up his car before he can reach it.
Ocean's Eleven reunites.
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Ocean's Eleven reunites.

First Thursday. Thirteen days left

Danny convenes a meeting. They argue over being called “Ocean’s Eleven”. They pool together what money they still have. Saul thinks he’s too old for this sort of thing and leaves. It’s not enough; they need $97 million. On the matter of Benedict, they conclude that only another criminal could have told him - if it was a con, he broke “rule number one”. Since they’re too hot to work in the United States, they travel to Europe, to Amsterdam where Rusty has a contact who might be able to get them work.
Linus, Rusty and Danny meet with Matsui.
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Linus, Rusty and Danny meet with Matsui.

AMSTERDAM

The team arrive at their hotel at the same time as Arsenal F.C.. Rusty follows Isabel around the city anonymously.
The world's oldest share.
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The world's oldest share.

Danny, Rusty and an eager Linus meet with Danny’s contact, Matsui (Robbie Coltrane), a fence who likes to speak in coded phrases. The meeting is seemingly a disaster, thanks mainly to Linus, but they are offered a job; to steal the world’s oldest share certificate from the personal safe of an agoraphobic Dutch antiques collector, Mr. van der Woude Jeroen Krabbe. The job only pays $2.5 million, but Matsui has promised them another job worth ten times that if they are successful. That might be enough to buy them some time.


First Sunday. Ten days left.

The team plan to crack the safe by shooting a crossbow bolt from an opposite rooftop, but Basher discovers that they have no line-of-sight.


First Tuesday. Eight days left.
Catherine Zeta Jones as Isabel Lahirirl.
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Catherine Zeta Jones as Isabel Lahirirl.

An elaborate plan is formed to raise the house the requisite distance via a submarine insertion of compressed air into the foundation supports. With line-of-sight established, Danny and his team enact their plan.

The following day, Isabel Lahiri is giving a lecture on the world’s greatest thieves at a meeting of Europol. The greatest thief of all time, she concludes, was Gasper LeMarc, who worked for fifty years but was never caught. It is not known whether he is alive or dead. The only thief who can come close, she tells them, is a man known only as the “Night Fox”, who leaves small, black Onyx figurines at the scenes of his crime. Her lecture is interrupted by news of the Amsterdam break-in.

At van der Woude’s home, Isabel is shown the drill that the burglars left behind. She finds the putty that covered the hole made by the crossbow bolt and a size 14 Hi Tec Magnum shoe print.

“Ocean’s Eleven” succeeded in breaking into van der Woude’s safe, but found only one of the “Night Fox”’s figurines and a mocking message. Isabel arrests Matsui and the nail salon-loving Frank.

The remainder of the team are contemplating their next move when Isabel arrives at the door. Isabel spots Rusty, Danny and Yen while the rest hide. Isabel tells Danny that his friend from the Bellagio job, Frank, has been arrested; the shoe print was traced to his fraudulent credit card. Afterwards, Rusty tells the rest of the team that Isabel’s late father was a thief, but he died. He also realises that she has stolen his cell phone and knows all the calls he has made. They have to leave Amsterdam on the 1:38 PM train, but Rusty, Danny and Yen can’t leave the hotel without being spotted by Isabel’s team.

Danny and Ryan disguise themselves as members of the entourage of Arsenal’s entourage, and Yen hides inside an Arsenal duffel bag they take with them. Unfortunately, the bag Yen is in becomes lost and ends up in Madrid. The others wait at Den Haag HS train station, during which Linus comments to Rusty on how Tess looks like someone else and Danny is ridiculed for looking 52.
Vincent Cassel as François Toulour
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Vincent Cassel as François Toulour

Danny and Rusty discover that the “Night Fox” is Baron François Toulour (Vincent Cassel), and that he is an apprentice of Gasper LeMarc. He is rich, bored and talented. He graduated from robbing banks, to stealing paintings and even once stole the King of Morocco’s 200ft yacht.

Second Friday. Five Days Left.

To teach Toulour a lesson, Danny’s team steal the Frenchman’s collection of paintings from his villa on Lake Como, Italy. Danny pays Toulour a visit and accuses him of breaking “rule number one”. Toulour explains that he was on Gasper LeMarc’s yacht with an American businessman (Jerry Weintraub) who worked for a big insurance company and recommended Terry Benedict to Danny as a potential mark. The American concluded that, after the Benedict Job, Danny Ocean must be the greatest thief in the world. Toulour is offended when LeMarc says nothing. Confronting him afterwards, LeMarc explains that their is no way to compare two thieves to each other. So Toulour suggests a challenge. To ensure Danny’s full co-operation, Toulour gave Benedict the names of the men who robbed him and asked how much it would take to drop his vendetta. Danny says Toulour is being cavalier with people’s lives.
1897 Imperial Coronation Egg by Carl Faberge.
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1897 Imperial Coronation Egg by Carl Faberge.

The 1897 Imperial Coronation egg by Carl Fabergé is due to go on display in Rome that week. It is one of the most famous jewels in the world, so valuable that it always travels with one or more replicas. Sometimes one of the replicas is put on display instead of the real one without anyone noticing. The egg left Paris that morning on its way to Rome. In goes on display Monday morning, giving Danny 48 hours to steal it. If Danny can steal the egg by Wednesday, Toulour will give him the $97 million. If Toulour steals the egg, Danny will be finished and Toulour will be proclaimed the best. In the meantime, LeMarc will look after the money. Danny accepts.

Rusty enlists the help of a friend, techno-wizard Roman Nagel (Eddie Izzard) to help them. Nagel telephones Rusty but it is Isabel (pretending to be a woman named Nicole) who answers Rusty’s cell phone. She makes notes on what he tells her.


ROME. SECOND SATURDAY. FOUR DAYS LEFT.

Isabel asks her boss for a 1077 to arrest Danny Ocean and his friends. When asked what they intend to steal, Isabel suddenly notices a poster advertising the display of the Fabergé Egg. Yen turns up safe and sound at the hotel.

Isabel pleads her case for a 1077 to her boss, Commissario Maurizio Giordano. She says that the egg was stolen by LeMarc in 1980 when 23 others had failed, but that his wife made him hand it back. Giordano reminds her that he signed a 1077 over the “Bulgari Job”, seconded 30 of his men... and made no arrests. He hands back the form unsigned.

The team evaluate the security surrounding the egg: It is protected by a randomly-moving “laser field” that the team reckon is impossible to beat, so they can’t take it at night. Danny, Rusty and Yen have been made by Isabel and cannot play a visible role in the execution of the plan - so there’ll only be six men. They still need an inside man, though, so they plan to smuggle Yen inside through the ventillation duct. They go over the plan, point by point. Rusty concludes that at 10:45 they’ll all get arrested and Danny agrees. Nagel shows the team what he has made; a 3D hologram replica of the egg mounted on a pedestal. When Nagel surprises them by asking for double his money, Rusty realises that Isabel is on to them.

Rusty breaks into Isabel’s place. Isabel knows about the Night Fox’s challenge, and warns Rusty that the next time she sees him, she’s arresting him. Angry at her ex-lover, Isabel sits down and forges Giordano’s name on the 1077. Back at their hideout, Linus must practice switching the real egg for the hologram.

Isabel is told there is a man called Andre Ciment who has had his paintings stolen form his villa at Lake Como. Toulour meets her in disguise and hands her the DVD from his security cameras. Isabel doesn’t hold up much hope that professional thieves would be caught on camera, but the DVD clearly shows the faces of the whole team. She passes the description on to Rome police along with a fax of the 1077.

The night before the intended theft, Danny is woken in his hotel room by his 5:30 AM alarm call. When he finds Rusty not changed, he realises that Toulour has tricked him, broken into his room and changed his watch, and made the alarm call himself at 11:30 PM. With five “morning” espressos inside him, Rusty has to get Danny very drunk before he can sleep again.


SECOND MONDAY. TWO DAYS LEFT.
Rusty taken into custody.
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Rusty taken into custody.

While Toulour practices his calisthenics, descriptions of the rest of the gang are sent to security at the Rome museum. Danny is arrested at the hotel and Rusty at a nearby cafe. Most of the gang are picked up waiting to go inside the museum; only young Linus, Basher and Turk get away.

They return to their hideout, which Toulour has under video and audio surveillance - inside and out. They still need a plan to get the egg. With too little time and too few people, none of their backup plans will work. Linus has a brain wave; a “Lookie-loo” with a “Bundle of Joy”. He contacts Tess and asks her to fly out to Rome.


SECOND TUESDAY. ONE DAY LEFT.

A short time later, the manager of the Rome hotel receives a telephone call telling him that Julia Roberts is coming.
Julia Roberts as Tess playing... Julia Roberts!
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Julia Roberts as Tess playing... Julia Roberts!

Tess is given a dress, a pillow to make her look pregnant (Julia Roberts was pregnant with twins at the time) and lessons on how to sound more like Roberts. At the hotel, Tess is met by Bruce Willis, a friend of Julia’s, who tries to get his Sponge Bob blanket back and insists on accompanying her to see the egg. They are joined by Saul, posing as her gynaecologist.

In their cell, Danny and the others give their verdict on Tess and Linus’ chances; “She’s a novice, being led by an apprentice, tracked by a pro.”.

Isabel is reluctant to let Julia Roberts see the egg and keeps an eye on the security camera. Tess fakes a contraction and Linus switches the egg for the hologram. Isabel spots the switch and intercepts the party as they are leaving. Isabel asks Tess for an autograph which she signs with her right hand not her left (Julia Roberts is a “lefty”). She also tells her that the real Julia Roberts is in Hollywood. Tess, Linus, Basher and Turk are arrested and join Danny, Rusty and the rest in Rome police station.
Ocean's Twelve behind bars.
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Ocean's Twelve behind bars.

Isabel is visited by a fellow Europol agent, Molly Star (Cherry Jones), who tells her there is an irregularity with her 1077 and she is to report to head office in Amsterdam immediately. Star takes over the questioning and intimidates Linus into accepting a deal to squeal on his friends. “Ocean’s Twelve” are taken away in a convoy of police cars. During the car ride it is revealed that Molly Star is in fact Linus’s mother. Linus is grateful to her for getting them all released, but is mortified that she told his father.

Isabel tries to stop Rusty getting away and follows him to a waiting private jet. He tells her that her father is still alive. He pretended to be dead to protect Isabal. Isabel’s late mother threatened to turn him over to the police unless he stayed away from her. When she appears reluctant to go, Rusty reminds her that she forged a 1077 - her career as a detective is over. Onboard the plane, Rusty sits next to a backpack - the same backpack Linus has been carrying around Rome.
Danny and Tess reveal the truth to Toulour
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Danny and Tess reveal the truth to Toulour

Toulour returns to his villa with the locked box containing the Fabergé Egg, which he asks to be put in his gallery. He finds Danny and Tess joking on the veranda. Danny asks Toulour how he stole the egg. Toulour wants Danny to first call him the best. After a brief discussion with his wife, Danny agrees to call him that after Toulour tells them how he stole the egg. Toulour agrees.

The egg arrived in Rome at 6:45 PM the Saturday before it went on display to the public. It was at the museum by 8:00 PM. Toulour stole the egg that night and switched it for a replica. He climbed the outside of the museum - without equipment or ropes - while Danny’s surveillance team (Virgil and Turk Malloy) were bickering by themselves, and entered through the roof. The super fit Toulour then defeated the laser field in a series of elaborate dance moves while listening to a song ("Thé à la Menthe" by La Caution) on his iPod.

Danny calls Toulour the best... now if he’ll just give Danny his money he’ll be on his way. Toulour mocks them both, but Danny stands firm. Toulour stares at Danny and Tess with dawning comprehension. “You spoke to LeMarc.” he slowly says.


Second Thursday. Six Days Left.

The 1:38 PM train they took from Den Haag HS was not to Italy, but to Paris Nord. Danny and Rusty went to visit LeMarc in Paris before Danny even met Toulour, when they wanted to find out who the Night Fox was and why he was after them. Danny and Rusty didn’t tell the others about LeMarc as the man wanted to remain anonymous. LeMarc told them everything. The old con is upset at the results of his inadvertent comments to Toulour, but also angry at Toulour’s response. Because Toulour broke “rule number one” in betraying them to Benedict, LeMarc is going to help Danny win Toulour’s challenge. He tells his visitors that Toulour will have them under constant surveillance while in Rome, so they had better put on a good show. He also tells Danny that the egg is not being transported from Paris to Rome on the well-publicized route, by armoured truck and private plane, but anonymously, on a train leaving the Gare de Nord at 9:30 AM, carried in a backpack, protected by two plainclothes security men.

Linus follows the kid with the backpack, and he, Danny, Basher and Turk board the train at the station. While they started a fight as a distraction for the security, Linus was able to switch the backpack for an identical backpack containing one of the replicas previously stolen by LeMarc before he retired. The replica was the egg put on display in Rome - the replica was the egg Toulour stole. Everything else Danny’s team did after that - stealing the paintings and putting their faces on camera, the first meeting, the plan to switch the egg for a hologram, getting arrested, using Tess, getting the rest of the team arrested - was part of a ruse to make Toulour think they were still going after the egg in the museum, so the master thief wouldn’t come and steal the real egg from them.


Danny lets it sink in. “And I stole a replica.” Toulour says. The Night Fox is crushed. He agrees to pay Danny his money. In a spirit of generosity, Danny tells Toulour the name of the warehouse where he has stashed Toulour’s paintings. Toulour knows the code to the warehouse before Danny can tell him. This time, though, Toulour won’t reveal his secrets.

At a remote villa in Portugal, Rusty leads Isabel to a tearful reunion with her father... Gasper LeMarc (Albert Finney). Rusty has brought the egg with him to exchange for Toulour’s money.

Reuben personally presents a check to Benedict, dated 1 Dec. 2004, for $198,427,084.32, and tells him to call off the vendetta. Benedict agrees. It is revealed that Benedict has a new gardener keeping an eye on the check... François Toulour.


MONDAY NIGHT.

Danny, Tess, Linus, Basher, Frank, Saul, Ruben, Livingston, Virgil, Turk and Yen meet up in a private room at the Bellagio. Isabel arrives unexpectedly and they all think they’re under arrest, but it’s just a trick by her new boyfriend Rusty. The eleven men and two women laugh, drink and play poker into the night.


Criticism

The film was criticized for its complex plot and a final twist that negated much of the preceding action. (Alfred Hitchcock's Stage Fright received similar criticism.).


Soundtrack

David Holmes returned to compose the music for the sequel and won a BMI award. Note: the soundtrack album does not contain the music the Night Fox listens to as he evades the lasers.

Ocean's Twelve OST (Warner, December 7, 2004):

1. Appuntamento (04:35) - Ornella Vanoni
2. $165 Million + Interest (into) The Round Up (05:43)
3. L.S.D. Partie (02:59) - Roland Vincent
4. Lifting the Building (02:34)
5. 10: 35 I Turn Off Camera 3 (02:25)
6. Crepuscolo Sul Mare (02:44) - Piero Umiliani
7. What R We Stealing (03:21)
8. Faust 72 (03:23)
9. Stealing the Stock (into) Le Renard de Nuit (04:53)
10. 7/29/04 the Day Of (03:11)
11. Lazy [Album Version] [Version] (04:30)
12. Explosive Corrosive Joseph (02:33)
13. Yen on a Carousel (03:13)
14. Real Story (02:55)
15. Ascension to Virginity (05:05) - Dave Grusin

Total Duration: 00:54:04

Trivia

* The sequel was based on an unproduced spec script by George Nolfi called Honor Among Thieves that was originally intended to be directed by John Woo.
* The music Benedict plays on the piano when he comes to visit Basher is called “Requiem for a Dead #$%^&*!@ Limey”. It was written and performed by Andy Garcia.
* The real 1897 Imperial Coronation Egg by Carl Faberge is kept in the Hermitage Museum, Moscow. It was bought in 1979 for $2.2 million by the Forbes Magazine Collection and was on display in New York - along with eight other eggs and 180 miscellaneous articles by Carl Faberge - for 25 years. On Feburary 4th 2004, Russian oil tycoon Viktor Vekselberg bought the whole collection back for Russia for about $90 million. The 1897 egg was valued at between $18 and $24 million. The replica seen in the film was made by the jewellers Vivian Alexander and is worth over $4,000.
* When he meets Tess at the Rome hotel, Bruce Willis asks after Danny. Julia Roberts' husband is also called Danny... Danny Moder. Linus also refers to Tess as “J-Mo”.



Box Office

US Gross Domestic Takings: US$ 125,544,280

+ Other International Takings: $237,200,000

= Gross Worldwide Takings: $362,744,280


Rating

The film is rated PG-13 in the US, 12A in the UK, and PG in Canada. As with the first film, there is no sex, violence or strong subject matter and it was the inclusion of a few choice sexual swear words uttered in a non-sexual context that upped the film to a more commercial rating.


Actors

* George Clooney - Danny Ocean
* Brad Pitt - Rusty Ryan
* Matt Damon - Linus Caldwell
* Andy Garcia - Terry Benedict
* Julia Roberts - Tess Ocean (Danny Ocean's wife)
* Catherine Zeta-Jones - Europol detective Isabel Lahiri
* Vincent Cassel - François Toulour
* Albert Finney - LaMarc (uncredited)
* Casey Affleck - Virgil Malloy
* Scott Caan - Turk Malloy
* Shaobo Qin - Yen
* Bernie Mac - Frank Catton
* Don Cheadle - Basher Tarr
* Carl Reiner - Saul Bloom
* Eddie Jemison - Livingston Dell
* Elliott Gould - Reuben Tishkoff