The Oceans films have provided perfect planed and performed pilfering’s to the popcorn purchasing public. Probably persuaded by the personality and performance of the leading cast. But as stories sunset, and stars stroll on it can be hard to recapture the magic. In 2018 a female-led spin-off of the hit Ocean’s franchise was formed. Starting off simpler but keeping the charm, as any heist film should. That film was Ocean’s Eight.

Debbie Ocean wants vengeance, mainly for what happened to her brother Danny Ocean. She teams up with former partner Lou to pull off a major heist in her brother’s memory. To achieve this, she is going to attempt to fleece the metropolitan gala out of their priceless necklace, the Toussaint. But in order to pull off this scheme, she’s going to need a crack team and pull the heist off without a hitch. This is where things get complicated.

The film’s main selling point is the cast drawing from a stream of women A-listers, Including Bullock, most of the team is new to playing in an Ocean film. I liked Sarah Paulson, who has the honour of being the ‘fence’ or mole for this particular sting. But she is not the exception, Helena Bonham Carter lets her eccentric side out in force as a disgraced fashion designer, Rose Weil. Even Rihanna has now become content with being an elite computer hacker, that sparingly doesn’t stretch the boundaries of imagination too much. But everyone in this film has shone on their own in solo efforts and the luminosity is only multiplied here.

The formula seems to have remained the same too, retaining the good aspects but not being too cautious to try something new. It feels incredible the number of intricate details that need to be planned and squared away in order to get Ocean’s plan to work. There’s even some technical trickery that while now I’m questioning, I wasn’t while watching. Like a con and the films that bear the ocean family name before. There are twist and turns both subtle and big. Some of these results in great jokes, others are major plot points. James Corden also gets an extended role as an insurance investigator, that manages to really up the ante towards the latter half of the film.

Ocean’s Eight is a competent caper, with quick quips and a dazzling look. With a cast a studded as the diamond neckless they’re trying to capture, even if you just want to see how these celebrities interact with each other, you’ll have a good time here. The film is equal parts funny and gripping, keeping the savvy audience guessing until the end. As far as female-led remakes of classic film properties go, Ocean’s Eight is a must steal.

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