Ocean's Eleven Reviews: Our Verdicts on Every Film

Ocean's Eleven (2001), directed by Steven Soderbergh, is the film I recommend first, and it leads our verdicts. Our Ocean's Eleven reviews rank the 2001 film first of five, followed by Ocean's Thirteen (2007), Ocean's Eight (2018), Ocean's Twelve (2004) and the 1960 original. The series runs from Ocean's Eleven (1960), directed by Lewis Milestone, to Ocean's Eight, directed by Gary Ross, and every pick below comes with a reason you can check against the film.

Yes, Ocean's Eleven (2001) is worth watching: it is a clear, well cast heist film and our top pick of the five. Danny Ocean (George Clooney) leaves a New Jersey prison and immediately plans a robbery of a vault shared by three Las Vegas casinos owned by Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), who is now dating Danny's ex-wife Tess (Julia Roberts). Danny recruits Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt), and together they assemble specialists that include a pickpocket, a demolitions expert, a card dealer and an acrobat. The job is timed for a big boxing night, when the vault holds the most cash.

Ocean's Eleven (2001) is so good because it pairs a simple, readable vault plan with an ensemble where each specialist has a clear job. Soderbergh keeps the crew large but never confusing, so Matt Damon as Linus Caldwell, Don Cheadle as Basher Tarr and Bernie Mac as Frank Catton (all credited on TMDB) each have a distinct role. The David Holmes score and a song list that includes Elvis Presley's "A Little Less Conversation" give the film a loose, confident pulse. The real trick is tone: the movie treats a crime as a party, and it never lets the tension drop long enough for you to get bored. It also looks expensive, which is part of why the $85 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo, turned into a very large return.

Our pick for the best Ocean's movie is Ocean's Eleven (2001), which also has the highest worldwide gross in the series at about $451 million, according to Box Office Mojo. Money is not quality, of course (Box Office Mojo lists no gross at all for the 1960 original), but here the numbers and my own taste agree. Critics at outlets such as The Guardian have written about the series too, and I give my own verdicts here rather than summarizing theirs. The grosses and budgets for the other four films sit in the verdicts table, so you can compare them side by side with the ranking.

Brad Pitt's character Rusty Ryan eats constantly in Ocean's Eleven as a character trait that signals he is relaxed while the crew is under pressure; no source we can cite gives an official reason. That reading is my opinion as a fan. Rusty is the crew's planner, and a man who snacks through a high pressure job looks like someone who has already done the math. It plays well against Danny's more formal calm, and it shows how Soderbergh builds personality from props rather than speeches.

Ocean's Eleven (2001) is rated PG-13 in the US, 12 in the UK and M in Australia, according to TMDB, so it is aimed at teenagers and adults rather than young children. The story is about thieves, and the tone is light, but the film is built on lying, theft and a fair amount of talky plotting that younger kids may find dull. Parents who want a second opinion can also check Common Sense Media, whose age advice may differ from these certifications. If you are choosing for a younger viewer, Ocean's Thirteen (2007) carries a PG in the UK and Australia, according to TMDB, though it is still PG-13 in the US.

Our ranking of the five Ocean's films, best to weakest, is Ocean's Eleven (2001), Ocean's Thirteen (2007), Ocean's Eight (2018), Ocean's Twelve (2004) and Ocean's Eleven (1960).

1. Ocean's Eleven (2001). Directed by Steven Soderbergh, it locks the vault plan, the boxing night timing and the ensemble together. Watch this first.

2. Ocean's Thirteen (2007). Directed by Steven Soderbergh, it has hotel developer Willy Bank (Al Pacino) cheating Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould) out of a Las Vegas casino deal, and Danny's crew sets out to wreck Bank's grand opening. The revenge motive is simple and warm, and Pacino and Ellen Barkin add some bite. It cost $85 million, according to The Numbers, and earned about $311 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.

3. Ocean's Eight (2018). Directed by Gary Ross, it follows Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock) as she plans to put a priceless Cartier necklace on the neck of actress Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway) at the Met Gala in New York. The production shot overnight at the Met itself, according to Screen Global Production, and a dinner staged around the Temple of Dendur, according to the Motion Picture Association, gives the heist a real sense of place. Daniel Pemberton's score suits the sleek, patient pacing, and the film earned about $298 million on a $70 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo.

4. Ocean's Twelve (2004). Directed by Steven Soderbergh, it has Benedict tracking down the whole crew and demanding his money back with interest, so they head to Europe, where Europol detective Isabel Lahiri (Catherine Zeta-Jones) closes in and a rival thief known as the Night Fox stays a step ahead. It is the most experimental film in the series, and I admire the nerve, but the plan is harder to follow than in the others. It cost $110 million, the highest budget of the five, and earned about $363 million, according to Box Office Mojo.

5. Ocean's Eleven (1960). Directed by Lewis Milestone, it has Danny Ocean (Frank Sinatra) and Jimmy Foster (Peter Lawford) gather nine fellow World War II veterans to rob five Las Vegas casinos at once on New Year's Eve. The Nelson Riddle score and Dean Martin's song for the film are lovely period touches. In my opinion, though, it prefers charm to mechanics, and as a heist it is the least satisfying of the set.

An untitled Ocean's Eleven prequel is dated for June 25, 2027 in the US, according to Variety, with Margot Robbie leading the cast. Bradley Cooper has been filming 1962 Grand Prix scenes for it in Monaco, according to Motorsport.com. The film is not yet released, so it has no verdict, and the full release picture is covered in the Ocean's Eleven prequel guide.

If you want the films in sequence before you pick favorites, start with Ocean's Eleven movies in order, and check where to watch Ocean's Eleven to see which service has each title. For the numbers behind my ranking, the Ocean's Eleven box office page lists budgets and grosses, and the Ocean's Eleven movies ranked page sets out the full argument for the order above.