Ocean’s 8 | Film Review

On a recent episode of our podcast, we lamented over an overarching question: who doesn’t love a heist movie? Several intelligent, charismatic criminals bonding together over the common ideology that someone else’s stuff always feels better in their crafty grasp. There is an intrinsic commonality among this band of thieves, a drive to piece the puzzle together before their opponent even realizes a game is afoot. The Ocean’s series, beginning with Ocean’s Eleven, managed to harness every minute detail revolving around the thrill of a heist, and deliver it to audiences with a hefty dose of whimsy and machismo. With Ocean’s 8, the ladies are taking the wheel.

Sandra Bullock’s entrance as Debbie Ocean heavily echoes that of her now-deceased brother Danny’s, newly paroled with a mission equal parts revenge and commerce to take on, and a crew to assemble. In fact, her arc is often far too reminiscent of her sibling’s, yet the necessity of bridging the franchises was an obvious concern for the filmmakers.

Immediately we meet Lou (Cate Blanchett), Debbie’s partner-in-crime and Brad Pitt surrogate for the duration of the film. Together they round up another stellar cast including a hacker (Rihanna), pickpocket (standout Awkwafina), jeweler (Mindy Kaling), fence (Sarah Paulson), and designer (a remarkably restrained Helena Bonham Carter) necessary to pull off another heist-of-the-century. Together they hatch a plan to rob the New York Met Gala of a $150 million piece of jewelry, straight off the neck of actress Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway).

There are two main components to nailing a heist flick, the first being the team. As far as the cast goes, director Gary Ross (The Hunger Games) has amassed a delightful band of misfits that approach the camaraderie of the George Clooney films. Though Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett spend a bit too much time emulating the dynamic of Clooney and Brad Pitt, which unfortunately feels more forced than natural, it is when the two accomplished actors break away from resonance and forge their own path that they begin to gel quite nicely.

The remainder of the team is given little in the way of character development, yet mesh nicely with each opportunity to standout in a crowded field. Both Rihanna and Awkwafina leave us desperately wanting more, should future films arise. And Anne Hathaway excels as a seemingly narcissistic actress with more than a few layers bubbling underneath the surface.

The second component is the heist itself, and that is where Ocean’s 8 simply derails. Ocean’s Eleven – a staple of modern cinematic thievery – stood out because not only did the actors gel, the actual theft was a game of chess brought chillingly to life. Each move is a masterstroke that holds up on repeated viewings, eliciting thrills in all wannabe master criminals.

Ocean’s 8, on the other hand, features a heist that is rudimentary at best, and mind-blowingly ludicrous at its worst. It hangs its proverbial hat on two elements that stunt the growth of any criminal enterprise in this genre: the unreasonable turn and the deus ex machina. The turn comes when a portion of the plan unhinges and the only way it remains on course is if a random character completely turns or changes course with no rational motive whatsoever. This transpires egregiously in the final act, and another instance of it occurring is up for debate.

The deus ex machina comes when, deep in the third act, a completely unrelated and unmentioned series of events drop out of the sky from the faraway planet of Bullshittia in a desperate attempt to “WOW” the audience. If Gary Ross and writing partner Olivia Milch were attempting to steal all believability from the script, then mission firmly accomplished.

The advantage of an all-women cast is to spin-off a franchise with fresh eyes. Overall, Ocean’s 8 boasts a solid cast of talented thespians, and affords them each with a canvas to showcase their skills. If only they could have simply stolen a fitting final act and stepped out of the shadows of its predecessor a bit, this could have approached the heights of the first film Ross desperately wants to replicate. Instead, we are left with a charming cast of culprits that deserve to be paroled from mediocre writing. I’ll raise a martini glass in hopes Ocean’s 9 avoids a similar cinematic crime.