Movie Review: Ocean’s 8

Certificate 12A, 110 minutes

Director: Gary Ross

Stars: Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway

Ocean’s 8 (also styled Ocean’s Eight) opens with Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock) sitting in a chair in a room, in front of what is presumably the parole board, although they are never seen. The unseen parole board officer is telling her that, as a parolee, she had to avoid associating with anyone who has a criminal record. Which is the majority of her extended family.

Debbie says that her brother, Danny, who would seem to be dead, was a conman, and she regrets that. The criminal life was never one she would have chosen, and she made some bad choices in her life and trusted the wrong person. Her goal, if released, is to live a simple life, to get a job and have friends.

Once granted parole, the prison guard that Debbie speaks to on the way out, as she is getting her things – it looks like she was wearing evening dress when arrested – doesn’t believe that she wants the simple life. Debbie says that she had five years to come up with the line. Debbie leaves Nichols Women’s Prison with $45 in her pocked – which, she tells the guard, will take her anywhere she wants.

Out on Parole

The first stop is Bergdorf Goodman, a high end store, where Debbie picks up a number of items. And then tries to return them. She doesn’t have a receipt, so the clerk refuses, but at least gives her a bag to take the, not actually purchased, goods out of the store in.

Arriving at a hotel with more bags, Debbie then eavesdrops on the conversation a couple who are checking out of the hotel have with the desk clerk. And then scams a room. And picks up some luggage on the way to the room. So far, most of what she has hasn’t been paid for (possibly she paid for transport).

A woman, Lou (Cate Blanchett), is overseeing her employees diluting vodka with water. Because to someone who is drunk, watered down vodka tastes like vodka. Which is true. When Lou steps outside, she gets a text message. Probably from Debbie, who wants to meet her again. First, Debbie goes to a cemetery, where her brother Danny is buried. Possibly. Debbie is not convinced that he’s actually dead. Reuben (Elliott Gould) is also at the grave, and he tells Debbie not to do whatever it is she has planned to do. She doesn’t listen (or this would be a pretty short film). Debbie also pays a visit to the Claude Becker Gallery; it seems she has a grudge against its owner – for reasons that are explained later in a flashback – Claude Becker (Richard Armitage).

The Team for the Heist

When Debbie and Lou meet, Debbie says that what she’s planned is a jewellery heist. Of a piece of jewellery in a vault 50′ below the surface of the ground. Only they aren’t going to rob the vault; the jewellery will be brought to them. Lou thinks that such a job will take millions and at least a dozen people; Debbie (who has, as she states, had 5 years 8 months and 17 days to plan the heist) says it can be done for $20K with seven people.

The place Debbie is planning to rob is the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. Or, rather, one of the guests – rather airheaded actress Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway) – at the annual Met Gala. The item that is going to be stolen is the Toussaint, a $150 million Cartier necklace that is kept in Cartier’s vault. First, they need to be able to get it to Kluger, so it can be stolen from her. Kluger has not chosen a designer for her Gala costume yet, and that’s Debbie and Lou’s first stop.

The designer is Rose Weil (Helena Bonham Carter), who is pretty much a has been and owes the IRS $5 million. So, she’s pretty motivated to make millions of dollars in a short space of time. The Toussaint will be an integral part of the costume. The other team members are hacker Nine Ball (Rihanna) for the computer end of things, Constance (Awkwafina), a street hustler and pickpocket, Amita (Mindy Kaling), a jewellery maker, and Tammy (Sarah Paulson), a former fence and now suburban housewife. With a garage full of goods (her husband thinks she sells on eBay).

Who is Number Eight?

The observant will have realised that this is the seven people that Debbie Ocean was looking for – but not the eight of the title. So, there is presumably an eight member of the crew. This final member is not revealed until very late on, along with some twists.

Running the Job

Cartier are not terribly happy about the idea of letting a $150 million diamond necklace out of their vault, but are convinced to agree. Cartier do hire some serious private security to guard it. Not only does the heist involve hacking and infiltration, but there is a scary amount of social engineering going on as well. Things do not go quite as smoothly as Debbie had originally planned, and she also seems to be taking the opportunity to get some revenge in at the same time. The actual job is pretty complex, with a lot of moving parts, and things aren’t over once the job is, as there is more coming (which is where James Corden (Peter Rabbit) comes in). Debbie seems to have violated the terms of her parole quite thoroughly by the end of the film.

Reviewing Ocean’s 8

Ocean’s 8 is a way of rebooting the franchise whilst still keeping some continuity, by having Debbie being Danny’s sister (it’s never absolutely certain that Danny is dead – that could be another con, and this means that Danny could always pop up in a sequel, should there be one).

The film itself is decent, albeit not outstanding. There is a good chemistry between the cast – and having an all-female crew of thieves is a bit of a change, and requires them to do some things in different ways. There are, as expected, some twists to the plot, which is now pretty much standard for this type of film. The performances are good, the film looks good – it is at a big fashion event, after all (and there are quite a lot of celebrities appearing in cameos as themselves at the Gala) and it chugs along pretty steadily.

The plot is pretty much standard fare for the genre. There are no truly big twists (bar the obligatory ones that you have to get; perhaps Hustle is responsible for this), or standout differences from any other film in the genre. It’s a decent piece with a cast that probably outshines the plot. This is a decent enough light-hearted caper (there is some humour – such as when Debbie says that they aren’t doing it for themselves, but the 8 year old girl dreaming of becoming a criminal!) and decent fun. Ocean’s 8 isn’t outstanding plot-wise, but it would be nice to see this crew return in a film with a better story.