Bovie Movie

Despite returning to Las Vegas where the series began, Steven Soderbergh’s second sequel to 2001’s Ocean’s Eleven fails to rediscover the sheer insouciance of the original. George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and the rest of the cast reprise their roles as the charming conmen, who this time target the hi-tech casino of ruthless Vegas businessman Willy Bank (Al Pacino). The strength of the series was always its breezy enthusiasm, but here there’s a chronic lack of fun: Pacino barely gets out of first gear, while Clooney seems to have his mind on other things. Only Ellen Barkin appears to be enjoying herself, shining in a comic role that sees her dosed with potent pheromones and seduced by a heavily disguised Matt Damon. Apparently there won’t be an “Ocean’s Fourteen”; clearly, Soderbergh’s under no illusions that Ocean’s winning streak has dried up at last. 

The chemistry between lead actors Don Cheadle and Chiwetel Ejiofor lights up this vibrant biopic about ex-con Ralph Waldo “Petey” Greene, who became an iconic radio DJ in 1960s Washington DC. In the hands of director Kasi Lemmons (Eve’s Bayou) the story of Greene (Cheadle) evolves into an emotionally rewarding journey, from his hustling a morning slot at a conservative radio station and becoming a shock jock sensation, to defusing street riots in the aftermath of the Martin Luther King assassination — the DJ’s defining moment and the movie’s highlight. It’s when programme director Dewey Hughes (Ejiofor) tries to broaden his appeal into national celebrity that it all comes unstuck. What makes this superb portrait of a self-destructive free spirit work equally well beyond the magnetic performances is the director’s sociopolitical sensitivities, their placement against the turbulent civil rights backdrop of the era and a clear understanding of the rise in “Black is Beautiful” culture that followed. The classic soul music soundtrack couldn’t be bettered either. 

Based on little-known real-life events of 1974, this Watergate-era drama stars Sean Penn as Samuel Bicke, an American whose grip on reality fails at the same time as his marriage. As both his personal life and fledgeling business founder, Bicke channels his dissatisfaction into a plan to hijack a commercial airliner and fly it into the White House to assassinate the president, the man Bicke sees as the prime mover behind his misery. A labour of love by director Nils Mueller, the film is notable for the exceptional performance of Penn and the fine support of Don Cheadle and Naomi Watts as the friend and estranged wife respectively whose lives are infected by Bicke’s mania. The film misses an opportunity in the post-11 September climate to say something new about what drives disturbed individuals to such acts, but Penn still manages to bring fascinating shades of light and dark to a striking story of American madness. 

After Punch-Drunk Love and Spanglish, Adam Sandler further enhances his reputation as a serious actor with this post-9/11 drama. Sandler plays Charlie, a man who has dropped off the radar after the loss of his wife and daughters in one of the hijacked jets. Five years later, Alan (Don Cheadle), his former college roommate, unexpectedly runs across him in the street in New York, and, aghast at Charlie’s decline, re-establishes a relationship with him. Although Alan seems to have it all, he turns out to have his own problems. In fact, both men need a friend at this crucial time in their lives. Reign over Me is contrived and more than a little corny, and it lacks zip. But the acting, by a cast that also includes Donald Sutherland and Liv Tyler, is top drawer. This may well prove to be the film that does for Sandler what Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind did for Jim Carrey. 

This is the film for which female lead Halle Berry was reportedly offered an extra $500,000 (on top of her $2 million fee) to bare her breasts. Well, she does, and it’s all over very quickly, and if anyone is tempted to watch for that reason alone, more fool them. This glossy, expensive computer-heist thriller amounts to very little behind all the fireworks. If you’ve seen the trailer, you’ve seen the film, as it shows part of what industry types call the “money shot” — a technically brilliant 360-degree explosion that will act as director Dominic Sena’s calling card. He’s so proud of it, in fact, he gives it to us twice, such is the superficial nature of this film. The only real saving grace is Hugh Jackman’s performance as the cool super-hacker hired by counter-terrorist John Travolta to help steal $9.5 billion. Travolta is always watchable but you can’t help thinking this is the least anyone could do with an $80-million budget: a heist, some hostages, a lot of flashy, unrealistic computer hacking and an actress in her underwear. 

A jewel thief is tempted to come out of retirement in this pleasant Caribbean-set caper. Pierce Brosnan plays suave crook Max Burdett, whose idyllic life in a Bahamian paradise — shared with partner-in-crime Lola Cirillo (Salma Hayek) — is jeopardised when he sees the chance to steal a famous diamond. Burdett must also contend with his old nemesis, FBI agent Stanley Lloyd (Woody Harrelson), who doesn’t believe Burdett can retire, and so a seemingly endless game of cat-and-mouse ensues. Rush Hour director Brett Ratner offers perhaps more than enough tasteless jokes about suntan-oil application and scenes of Hayek in skimpy swimwear, but, luckily, the cast’s playfulness works within the predictable plot rather than against it.