When I think of buddy movies, or movies that friends get together to do just for the hell of it, I think of this movie. This movie has no significance other than members of the Rat Pack doing a movie together. That reason alone does not make a good movie, buddy movies can be bad, for example see the movie "The Order" starring Heath Ledger and his friends, now that is a bad buddy movie. "Ocean's Eleven," the original, starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop, is a true classic fun, buddy movie that is 100 times better than the remake, and should be in every bodies video library.

The premise of the story is 11 ex-military comrades get together with a Beverly Hills mobster and plan to rob five of the larger casinos in Las Vegas. I wish I could say more but that is the whole story, no subplots about love or life or anything else, just a your basic robbery.

The movie is hard to describe because it is full of sexism, male bonding, and over the top acting. It is written and directed in a style that was used a lot in the 1940's and 50's, a musical number or two, sets that were on a stage or on location with no or minimal special effects.

There are no Academy Award ® nominations for the acting in this movie. Sinatra, Martin and the rest of the pack all did a nice job but I wouldn't sit down and take acting notes from this movie. The buddy movie also brings along a ton of cameo appearances of famous actors or actresses. For this movie, you get such stars as a young Angie Dickinson, an even younger Shirley MacLaine, screen legend Cesear Romero, comedian Red Skelton, and Mr. Roper himself, Norman Fell. Again nothing spectacular in acting but fun none the less.

The director Lewis Milestone, who did such classics as Mutiny on the Bounty, and won two Academy Awards ®, one for All Quiet on the Western Front, and Two Arabian Knights, which he won at the very first Academy Award ® ceremony. Yet I feel for this movie he said action once and cut once and let the actors do the rest, which is what you are supposed to do in a movie like this.

The ending is outstanding. It is original in that basically the good guys lose. They don't get caught or go to jail, but they do not get to enjoy their prize.

Lastly I will say that this movie is better than the 2001 remake starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt. For the very reason that the remake had a plot, story and sub plot's with the casino robbery only the background. Sure the story is better in the remake but the movie is worse and not very interesting. The sequel to the 2001 movie is closer to this movie than the remake will ever be.

Chances are you have seen the 2001 version, now I dare you to see the original and try not to like it. Of course, if you are looking for love, meaning and understanding, then this Rat Pack movie is not for you.

Brian - the Naked Gun