New heist. New crew. New Ocean.
Directed by Gary Ross, Ocean’s 8 is an all-female spin-off to the Ocean’s trilogy. The film follows Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock), sister of the late Danny Ocean, who plans an elaborate heist of the Met Gala. After being released from prison, Debbie meets with her former heist partner, Lou (Cate Blanchett), to lay out the plans to steal a $150 million Cartier necklace from the Met Gala. After assembling an all-female team capable of assisting in stealing the necklace, the team begins their plan for one of the most difficult heists in history.
I personally have never seen any of the original films in the Ocean’s trilogy. However, this may be a good thing as sometimes spin-offs are often held in comparison to the original film or films and can be met with harsh criticism. With that said, I really enjoyed Ocean’s 8. It’s a compliment to the heist genre and is loads of fun.
Other than it being a spin-off to a well-known trilogy, the film’s all-star lineup is what stands out the most. Much like the Ocean’s trilogy, Ocean’s 8 features an all-female cast of well-known stars and up-and-coming names: Sandra Bullock (Speed, Miss Congeniality), Cate Blanchett (The Aviator, Blue Jasmine), Anne Hathaway (The Princess Diaries, The Devil Wears Prada), Mindy Kaling (TV’s The Office and The Mindy Project), Sarah Paulson (TV’s American Horror Story, 12 Years a Slave), Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians, Neigbors 2: Sorority Rising), music star Rihanna, and Helena Bonham Carter (The King’s Speech, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street). Elliot Gould and Shaobo Qin reprise their roles as Reuben Tishkoff and “The Amazing” Yen from the Ocean’s trilogy. James Corden (TV’s The Late Late Show with James Corden, Peter Rabbit) also appears in the film as John Frazier, an insurance fraud investigator.
I love this cast. Each character brought a unique skill and perspective to the film and was portrayed perfectly. While I am a fan of each actress involved in the film, I particularly enjoyed Awakwafina as Constance, an outspoken street hustler and expert pickpocket. A lot of the comedy derives from Constance and her no holds barred demeanor. Awakafina is extremely hilarious in every project she’s been part of and I am pleased to see her taking on larger roles recently.
Heist films are often only as good as their storyline and Ocean’s 8 does not disappoint. It’s quite extraordinary and imaginative to steal a $150 million dollar necklace at the Met Gala while it’s around the neck of a celebrity being accompanied by security. And yes, the security is present strictly for the necklace. The film was an intense thrill ride with edge-of-your-seat moments and great dialogue.
I do believe fans of the Ocean’s trilogy will enjoy Ocean’s 8, as well as anyone that enjoys the heist genre. Even if you’re like me and haven’t seen the original Ocean’s trilogy, this is a film worth checking out.