I explained most of the history behind the Ocean’s Eight movie in the last post, but in this one, I’ll focus on the cast of the movie in greater detail.

The heist in Ocean’s Eight is carried out by a team of eight talented women, played by equally talented actresses. Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock) heads the team, filling the same role that her older brother, Danny Ocean, took in the original Ocean’s Eleven trilogy. She is incredibly smart, cunning, and confident. The elaborate plan that she crafted to carry out the heist during her five years in prison was genius (although not entirely believable as the plots from the original trilogy also were). Bullock’s formidable acting skills and ability to connect with the audience make her a strong lead.

Her right-hand woman is Lou (Cate Blanchett), an old partner who fills the same “wingman” type role as Rusty (Brad Pitt) in Ocean’s Eleven. As one review put it, Blanchett “[wraps] her character in just enough mystery to keep you transfixed.” Many audience members were left wanting to know more about the secretive club owner.

While the rest of the team fills more minor roles, each brings something unique to the group. Helena Bonham Carter plays a somewhat disgraced fashion designer whose proximity to the event where the heist would take place (the Met Gala) and the actress who they convinced to wear the jewels that they wanted to steal (Diane Kluger, played by Anne Hathaway) made her an invaluable member. Mindy Kaling’s diamond expert, Sarah Paulson’s merchandise fencer, Rihanna’s computer genius, and Awkwafina’s gifted pickpocket rounded out the team with crucial skills, responsibilities, and personalities.

(WARNING: SPOILERS!) If you’ve been keeping count, you may have noticed that I only mentioned seven team members. As a surprise twist at the end of the movie, Diane Kluger (Anne Hathaway), the team’s mark throughout the movie, is revealed to have been in on the heist. She is the haughty, conceited actress heading the Met Gala that they tricked into wearing the necklace that they hoped to steal. Hathaway nails her performance, “[turning] the part of a clichéd Hollywood female narcissist into a disquisition on performative femininity.”

While this talented team does occasionally turn the movie into “the clever, easygoing comedy we’ve long hoped it would be,” journalists like Vanity Fair’s Richard Lawson wrote of their wish that “that mood was sustained throughout.” However, nearly every review cites that the problem lies not in the cast but in the director, Gary Ross, who was unable to replicate the energy and spirit of the original trilogy, which was directed by Steven Soderbergh.

The film treats female empowerment in an interesting way, since the main cast is comprised of criminals. Debbie Ocean gives her team a motivational speech before the heist, saying, “Don’t do this for me. Don’t do this for you. Somewhere out there is an 8-year-old girl lying in bed dreaming of being a criminal. Let’s do this for her.” While feminists generally advocate for young girls pursuing any career they want to, they usually don’t condone illegal activities.

Ocean’s justification for why she believes the team should be made entirely of women is another way that the movie presents feminism and female stereotypes from the unique perspective of a criminal: “a Him gets noticed, a Her gets ignored. And for once, we’d like to be ignored.” The co-writer of Ocean’s Eight, Olivia Milch, explained that the line was created to be “indicative of what it is to be a woman looking to accomplish her goals in a man’s world,” making a broader message more clear.

All of the previous movies I’ve discussed have been superhero or sci-fi movies, but I made this blog to talk about women in all types of action movies. I don’t know exactly if Ocean’s Eight is classified as an “action” film, but it’s one that is interesting to look at when examining female leads in traditionally male-led genres (or in this case, a previously male-dominated franchise).

When it was announced that Ocean’s Eight would be released, most people recognized that it was a reboot of the 2001 Ocean’s Eleven trilogy starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon among many others. However, the franchise actually began with the 1960 film Ocean’s 11, which starred Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. All four of these movies centered around thief Danny Ocean (played by Sinatra and Clooney)  and the team that he assembles to execute elaborate heists, characterized by their unique twists and surprises.

Both versions of the eleven person team are exclusively male. In Ocean’s Twelve, the 2004 sequel, Ocean’s wife, Tess (Julia Roberts), joins the team, but she takes on an incredibly minor role after being roped into the plot after the original plot goes awry. In Ocean’s Thirteen, another man is added to the group.

 

The original eleven members of Ocean’s team were highly skilled in particular areas – often the best in the world at their trade. But, in Ocean’s Twelve, Tess doesn’t have any special abilities that make her an indispensable part of the team. As previously mentioned, she was a last minute addition to the team and strongly protested being a part of her husband’s criminal activities. She is only necessary for their plan because of her striking resemblance to Julia Roberts. Although this is incredibly funny and leads to many jokes, it means that the only thing she brought to the team was her appearance.

Ocean’s Eight features an eight woman team, led by Danny’s younger sister, Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock). It stars incredibly talented actresses: Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina, Rihanna, and Helena Bonham Carter. However, when it was first announced, some critics were worried that the all-female continuation of the original trilogy would end up similar to the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot, which received very harsh reviews and was critiqued by opponents to female reinterpretations of male-dominated franchises for not living up to the original movie. Ocean’s Eight did not elicit the same level of sexist hatred, but how did it compare to the original trilogy?

To be continued…

Up until this point, I’ve exclusively talked about women in superhero films, but since this blog is about female representation in all types of action movies, I figured it was about time that I talked about Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

When it was revealed that the Star Wars franchise was coming back with a new movie in 2015 after ten years, fans were ecstatic and most looked forward to the monumental step that was being taken: a woman as the lead protagonist role. This character, Rey, has been deemed by many journalists and reviews as “the feminist hero we’ve all been waiting for.” Patricia Karvelas claimed that Rey’s characterization was “the feminist punch-the-air moment we’ve all been desperately waiting for.”

One of Rey’s many strengths is her ability to be great at just about anything. She is an expert fighter, a skilled pilot, and a “natural leader.” All of these traits make her an incredibly powerful character, deserving of respect from her male counterparts. She receives that respect on the basis of her merit rather than anything else, which is incredibly important. However, this characterization received a lot of backlash from some fans, calling her a “Mary Sue,” or a character that lacks any real flaws and is “too perfect,” causing them to be boring instead of heroic. To some extent, they have a point; Rey is able to stand her ground against very highly-trained enemies despite no training and is a phenomenal pilot despite basically no experience or practice (as far as the movie shows). She is an incredible mechanic and profoundly gifted at using the Force.

Fans of Rey contested this notion that she wasn’t a “strong female character” because of her natural talents by explaining that Rey was important representation for women regardless. Journalist Tasha Robinson acknowledged that Rey is “not a model for every female character to aspire to,” since she does lack pretty much any weaknesses, but also made the comparison to popular male characters like Ethan Hunt and Captain America who have similar unrealistic strengths and talents that don’t cause them to be undermined in the same way that Rey is.

Regardless of her characterization, Rey is an important example when speaking about female representation in action films because she is the first woman to be the central protagonist of a Star Wars movie. While Leia was one of the main characters in the original trilogy, the primary focus of the movies rested on Luke. Her growth and plotlines were, for the most part, secondary to his. However, Rey is the central figure in The Force Awakens, second to none.

The Star Wars franchise is beloved by millions of fans around the world, so featuring a female lead made a large impact on representation across the industry. The Force Awakens broke box-office records, becoming the biggest domestic opening weekend gross of $247 million, and went on to make over $2 billion worldwide. It is currently the third highest grossing movie of all time (although it’s opening weekend record has since been beaten by Avengers: Infinity War).

Reaction

Personally, I don’t have any particularly strong feelings towards Rey. I know many people who love her and see her as one of the best portrayals of a powerful female character ever and others that think she’s a boring Mary Sue. She didn’t really stand out to me. I didn’t feel a real connection to her or her story (partly because she was so amazing at everything she tried), but I didn’t feel anything negative towards her either. From what I can tell though, my disinterest in her as a character doesn’t really have anything to do with her characterization and is mainly just a matter of personal preference. However, I do recognize her importance in terms of female representation and because of that, support her role as the lead in the franchise fully.