When the film Wolfs opens September 20th, it will reunite stars George Clooney and Brad Pitt on the silver screen and watching the trailer brought back fond remembrances of the Ocean’s Trilogy for me. What follows is my attempt to break down what made each character in the series important to the heists they were pulling off.
In 2001 director Steven Soderbergh released his reimagining of the RatPack favorite Ocean’s 11 and in doing so, he not only assembled one of the all time great ensemble casts, he also reinvigorated the heist genre in the process. Ocean’s Eleven displays tons of that Vegas charm. Followed by Ocean’s Twelve in 2004, which brought the greater ambition of multiple European heists. And then, it’s all capped off with Ocean’s Thirteen in 2007 dialing up the star power to (well thirteen) to deliver one last blow out score.
The key to the heists lies in the crew itself and you always need one more (that’s correct, Rusty). Without further ado, here is your definitive cinematic heist crew.
The Mastermind – Danny Ocean (George Clooney)
Danny Ocean is the brains of the operation, and thus always has an angle working. He is always steps ahead of everyone else and even more importantly multiple steps ahead of any mark. Whether it’s being recently released from prison, clawing himself out of a financial hole, or coming to the aid of one of his fellow partners, Danny is always up for the next target.
The Wingman – Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt)
Rusty is the cool, charismatic and rare individual who can keep up with Danny’s developing angles. If Danny has a plan, you can be sure it involves Rusty. Together, the pair cook up ingenious schemes; and not unlike Danny, Rusty brings his considerable charm into the mix whenever the team needs a spark or distraction.
The Pickpocket – Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon)
Around Linus, it’s eyes on your possessions at all times. If it’s valuable, Linus is taking it. When we first meet him in Eleven, the young Caldwell is a master of the sleight of hand, able to pinch and pilfer without notice. By Thirteen, he is an integral part of the crew as he goes full method-actor on the unsuspecting Abigail Sponder (Ellen Barkin) full prosthetic nose and all to help pull off Danny’s biggest scheme.
The Munitions Expert – Basher Tarr (Don Cheadle)
If you need something blown up (or maybe) taking down the electrical power to Vegas, look no further than Basher. Also armed with a horrendous, yet entertaining, cockney accent he’s at his best when making enjoyable mayhem with whatever explosive is at hand. Whether it’s taking the power out or simulating an earthquake, you just bring in Basher. (Bish bash bosh.)
The Legend – Saul Bloom (Carl Reiner)
Yes, he’s one of the oldest members of the team, but very few things top experience. Saul is cool, calm, and collected; and he’s always there when the team needs a steady hand. Danny can trust him to get the job done, whether he needs Saul to play an arms dealer, a Swiss doctor, or a hotel reviewer it’s all in a day’s work.
The Dealer – Frank Catton (Bernie Mac)
When you need someone on the casino floor who can blend in seamlessly, that’s Frank, whose card dealing expertise and personality, means he can insert himself into any game without raising suspicion. (At least until that suspicion is part of the distraction you need to pull the strings behind the scenes.)
The Mechanics and also Chameleons – Virgil and Turk Malloy (Casey Affleck and Scott Caan)
Virgil and Turk are the two bickering twins who are not afraid to get into even the stickiest parts of the scheme. They’ll gladly don any disguise, create distractions, sneak past any guard, and take on any surveillance task, all to make the job easier for everyone else.
The Eagle Eye in the Sky – Livingston Dell (Eddie Jemison)
While some members of the team are keeping it old school, not Livingston Dell. He has his head in the tech side of things; infiltrating mainframes, hacking into security, altering casino gear, and most importantly, making sure the rest of the team stays off the grid. As a freelancer, he even sometimes lends his skills to the FBI, just not at the risk of the Ocean’s crew.
The Grease Man (The Acrobat) – The Amazing Yen (Qin Shaobo)
Yes, Danny’s team did need one more, and the answer came in the form of The Amazing Yen. When your plan calls for someone who can squeeze into a place no human being should be able to fit, Yen is the man for the job. He is a man of flexibility, who can be smuggled in and out of pretty much anywhere. He can be folded in half to get wheeled into a casino vault, zipped into a sports bag to smuggle his way onto a coach, and navigate any lift shaft. I’m not sure how much stretching that takes, but I’ve been trying for weeks and all I’ve got for my efforts is sore muscles and continuous heat packs.
The Funding – Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould)
If you’re going to take down three casinos at once, you’re going to need to be well funded. You also need a guy who knows the business inside and out and has a little need for revenge. That guy is Reuben. He used to be in the Vegas big-leagues until he was muscled out by other ruthless executives. This makes him the perfect person to help Daniel Ocean steal back from those execs who thwarted him. And that’s right, big specs demand big respect.
The Wife (The Double) – Tess Ocean (Julia Roberts)
She was Danny’s wife, then ex-wife, and then wife again. Mostly, Danny does not involve her in his angles, but in a pinch Tess is brilliant as seen in Ocean’s Twelve, reluctantly giving her assistance in a plot to swipe a Faberge egg. What a plan, she’ll pose as Julia Roberts, to whom she bears an uncanny resemblance.
The Casino Owner – Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia)
The enemy of my enemy is my friend (at least temporarily). Terry Benedict is the owner of the Bellagio, MGM Grand, and The Mirage, begging to be brought down a level or two and for the most part, the key foe of Danny’s crew. But in Ocean’s Thirteen, he rounds out the team in an effort to take down Al Pacino’s Willy Bank, who just happens to be his biggest money rival. He proves the notion that sometimes, your best asset is someone that nobody would ever suspect being on your side.
If my post inspires you to give these films a rewatch, I hope you enjoy the journey. Just remember don’t try this yourself; these are trained professionals. You must remember Reuben’s retelling of the three most successful robberies in the history of Vegas.
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