The Original Ocean’s 11

• Directed by Lewis Milestone
• August 3, 1960 (Las Vegas) / August 10, 1960 (US)

A group of war buddies plan a daring heist on New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas.

The original Ocean’s 11 stars the kings of cool of their era. The Rat Pack embodied fun and cool and the spirit of Vegas, where this takes place, at the time. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop were all members of the legendary friends and all have roles in this film. Each of the main actors essentially played off their public persona of the time and that is what largely carries the film.

I really had hoped to see a little more of Angie Dickinson in this movie. When she gets the chance (at least in older films that I have seen her in} she can really shine, but as Beatrice Ocean she is just the token woman and doesn’t really affect things. It would not have taken much to integrate her character into the heist plot. Her character clearly had an affection for her husband and that would have been enough to make it plausible for her to join up.

Frank Sinatra is Danny Ocean from whom the gang gets its name. Dean Martin is Sam Harmon. Sammy Davis Jr. is Josh Howard. Peter Lawford is Jimmy Foster. Joey Bishop is “Mushy” O’Connors. Bishop’s character did not have all that much to do in comparison to the previously mentioned names.

The rest of the gang is rounded out by Richard Conte as Tony Bergdorf, Henry Silva as Roger Corneal, Buddy Lester as Vince Massler, Richard Benedict as George “Curly” Steffans, Norman Fell as Peter Rheimer, and Clem Harvey as Louis Jackson. Those others did not get nearly enough to do in comparison to the rest of the cast. For example I have seen Norman Fell in other things (and I’m not talking Three’s Company or The Ropers) and he did pretty good in those instances. I’m not saying he rocked the boat but here he and others amount to little more than extras.

There are plenty of familiar faces in this movie even if you may not be able to place them. Aside from Norman Fell and Henry Silva, we have Red Skelton as himself, the legendary Cesar Romero as semi-former gangster Duke Santos, and Shirley MacLaine as a drunk girl that kisses Martin’s Harmon.

Ocean’s 11 is a fun heist film carried largely by the persona of the major names involved. There are no deep themes or grand ideas. They are just a couple of army buddies trying to make a fast buck with a bold heist on New Year’s Eve in Vegas.

The execution of the heist seemed a little poorly thought out. I’m not talking about the plan itself but how the director and the script has the characters go about it. For a team of people who worked well together and who knew each other for a very long time before this it feels like they stumbled a little.

How the plot unravels came as bit of a surprise to me. The initial nugget is introduced early on in the film but feels like an element used in earlier films to give a character heart when introduced. A way to make bad guys not so bad. When they use it though it becomes something so very good.

I do wish that the cat and mouse game between Duke and the Ocean Gang had gone on a little longer. Once Santos went from potential stepdad to Jimmy Foster to nemesis, he became a much more interesting character and looked as if Romero was going to get to put his acting skills to extended good use. Unfortunately he puts the pieces together rather quickly and that bit is ended abruptly.

The finale is one of those endings where none of the characters get what they want. It is 50/50 when those work. Sometimes it is forced in an attempt to subvert expectations. In others it is a natural outgrowth of events. Here it comes naturally from the characters and events and is a bit darkly humorous.

Ocean’s 11 is not perfect. It is not without its flaws but seeing The Rat Pack together on the screen and the chemistry they have helps to get past those flaws. Their real-life friendship and the clear fun that they were having translate through the screen to the audience.

Ocean’s 11 is a fun romp from a bygone era. You will enjoy yourself though I’m not 100% sure most modern viewers will go back for a second viewing.