Ocean's Eleven - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray [SteelBook]

Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's Eleven remake is not only superior to Lewis Milestone's Rat Pack ensemble flick, which is already a rare enough feat on its own, but it is arguably the preferred version over that 1960 original. While there are several reasons for why this is the case, the only one that ultimately matters is the director himself, an auteur in the truest sense of the word. Best celebrated for his arthouse indie features and as an incessant tinkerer of the film arts, Soderbergh is a master storyteller who effortlessly injects his unique experimental style into nearly any genre or who can turn the most unconventional idea into a fascinating watch (Magic Mike, The Girlfriend Experience). There is probably no better example of his mastery of the craft than his ability to invent chemistry out of thin air between George Clooney's Danny Ocean and Julia Roberts' Tess — two actors that, to be perfectly frank, have zero chemistry on their own, as in Ticket to Paradise. An amiable friendship, sure, but not a believable romance.

Pulling double duty as director of photography under the pseudonym Peter Andrews, Soderbergh composes a sense of history and an erstwhile love affair every time Clooney and Roberts share the screen through carefully designed close-ups and artfully calculated lighting. Simply put, it is an exemplar of film manipulation having the audience believe there once existed a passionate romance between the two. It is elegant, sleek and stylish, and that is precisely the point of this otherwise archetypal plot. This modernized reimagining is not really about the heist itself or how Ocean's team of professional criminals, which includes Brad Pitt, Bernie Mac, Matt Damon and Don Cheadle, pull off an elaborate robbery of Terry Benedict's (Andy Garcia) casinos because honestly, it's not that elaborate. They do just as planned, which we are privy to, and as Ocean said, which is both ironic and cleverly comical since Elliott Gould's Reuben Tishkoff broke down the three most successful Vegas heists like a shrewdly witty Chekhov's gun. 

Instead, Soderbergh manipulates his audience into simply enjoying the spectacle, mesmerized by the suave and ultra-cool pretense of pulling off such a heist, lost in the glitzy, glamorous façade of it all while immersed in a kind of '60s modish, jazzy veneer. (Movie Rating: 4.5/5)

For another take on the film, check out our review of the 2008 Blu-ray release HERE.

Vital Disc Stats: The Ultra HD Blu-ray 

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment brings Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's Eleven to Ultra HD Blu-ray as a single-disc Limited Edition SteelBook, designed to look like a deck of cards. The package comes with a flyer for a Digital Copy, unlocking the 4K UHD version in Dolby Vision HDR with Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 audio. The triple-layered UHD100 disc sits comfortably inside an attractive SteelBook. At startup, the UHD goes straight to a static menu screen with the usual options along the bottom and music playing in the background.

According to the Warner Bros press release, all three movies were remastered for their UHD debuts with the director's participation. However, what exactly that means is unclear, as in did they return to the original elements, are the transfers sourced from the same masters used for the previous Blu-rays or what exactly was the extent of Steven Soderbergh's involvement? 

Whatever the case may be, the first in the heist comedy trilogy breaks into the Ultra HD vaults with a beautiful HEVC H.265 encode that delivers a notable upgrade over its HD SDR counterpart. Peter Andrews' stylized cinematography is brought to life in this HDR10 presentation, bathing the Vegas sequences in the warm orange-yellow glow of the casinos and city lights while the reds of the carpeted floors, slot machines and some articles of clothing are rich and animated. 

As is the director's style, several consequences are shot with color filters, most prominently yellow and blue, but the palette nonetheless remains well-saturated and vibrant throughout while facial complexions appear healthy with outstanding lifelike textures. An improved contrast and brightness balance maintains excellent clarity and visibility of the distant background information, displaying vivid, brilliant whites and accurate, inky blacks. Specular highlights supply a crisp, radiant glow in the hottest spots without ruining the minute details, and deep, midnight shadows provide the 2.39:1 image with appreciable depth and strong delineation within the darkest corners. Awash in a fine layer of natural grain, the native 4K transfer shows striking, sharp details, from the unique architectural features of the buildings and streets to the fine stitching of the costumes, making for a stellar, film-like transfer. 4.5/5 (HDR 10 Video Rating: 92/100)

In another notable win for this UHD edition, Warner Bros. finally remedies a major blunder committed in their original HD release by upgrading the legacy Dolby Digital 5.1 track to a new, far superior DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, which was reportedly also overseen by the original sound mixer and editor. 

The new lossless mix feels significantly broader and more expansive, displaying a great deal of warmth and fidelity in David Holmes' jazzy score and the song selections, filling the entire soundstage while lightly bleeding into the surrounds. With this being a character-driven film, the design is understandably a front-heavy presentation with emphasis and attention on the dialogue, which is crystal-clear and very well-prioritized throughout. Many of the ambient effects mostly bounce between the three front channels and into the off-screen space with flawless movement, generating a spacious, highly engaging soundscape. Occasionally, a few atmospherics, such as the rowdy brouhaha of the casino and the cheering roars of the boxing fight, effortlessly spread into the sides, but they are largely limited and appear deliberately reserved by the creative team for certain sequences. The same can be said about the low-end, but when called upon, the bass feels hearty with a palpable oomph to supply the visuals and music with some depth and presence. While a new object-based track would have been greatly appreciated, this new DTS-HD MA track is nonetheless a fantastic complement to an awesome heist flick. (Audio Rating: 84/100)

The same set of bonuses from previous home video releases are ported over for this UHD edition. 2.5/5

• Audio Commentary featuring Steven Soderbergh and Ted Griffin
• Audio Commentary featuring Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Andy Garcia 
• Are You In or Out?: The Making of (SD, 28 min)
• Original Ocean's, Original Cool (SD, 14 min)
• Pros and Cons: Inside Ocean's Outfit (SD, 13 min)
• The Style of Steal (SD, 11 min)
• The Look of the Con (SD, 10 min)

Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's Eleven remake is a fantastic heist flick where the director perfectly balances his indie sensibilities with pulpy, mainstream filmmaking. The ensemble cast, which includes George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts and Andy Garcia, delivers delightfully memorable performances, and the film continues to be a wildly entertaining, ultra-cool popcorn movie over twenty years later. The Ultra HD edition features an outstanding 4K HDR10 presentation and a top-notch DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack. With a decently strong set of supplements, the UHD SteelBook makes for an easily Recommended addition to the library.

All disc reviews at High-Def Digest are completed using the best consumer HD home theater products currently on the market. More about the gear used for this review.  

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