The story goes that when the original "Ocean's 11" was filmed, the atmosphere on set was a party. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr and the rest would sleep during the day, perform their night club acts at night and then, when the rest of Vegas was heading to bed, they would film the movie. Sinatra is gone but his greatness is recognized in "Ocean's 13."

The film begins with long time Vegas hotel owner Reuben Tishkoff (Elliot Gould) entering a deal with another high roller, Willy Bank (Pacino). Discovering he's been betrayed in the deal, Tishkoff loses his will to live and ends up in bed. Eager to help their stricken friend, Danny Ocean (Clooney) and company plan another elaborate heist, the biggest of all time!

I don't know what it is about George Clooney, but he has that rare screen presence that makes me compare him to such film legends as James Stewart or Cary Grant, with a touch of Gary Cooper thrown in. With "Ocean's 13," he has returned to the light comedy that he does so well. In fact, the film flows so easily you can't help but know that the set had to be a regular laugh riot. The returning cast is in top form, with Pitt, Damon and Don Cheadle equaling Clooney laugh for laugh. New additions Pacino and Barkin also deliver though Pacino, with his tan, has a tendency to resemble Frankie Valli from the Four Seasons. The younger actors in the gang, including Casey Affleck and Scott Caan, join in on the fun, with the film sprinting between the story in Vegas and a plastics company in Mexico, which Affleck riles up as he evokes the memory of the Mexican hero Emeliano Zapata to get the factory owners to improve the working conditions of the men working there. The script is full of fun bits along with such con names as "the Billy Martin" and "the Susan B. Anthony." The story even evokes the memory of the Chairman of the Board when Bank is told to act like a man because at one time he had shaken Sinatra's hand. The film is bright and colorful, a testament to the work done by Soderbergh, who often acts as his own director of photography.

A fun adventure with a bunch of old friends, "Ocean's 13" is a great diversion from, and a fine addition too, the three-peats filling up the local cinemas.

On a scale of zero to four stars, I give "Ocean's 13"  .