The best scene in Ocean’s Eleven (2001) is the roughly ten second sequence in which Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), having realized that he’s been robbed of both his money and his girlfriend, walks into an elevator with a stoic, simmering expression. (See video below, approximately 0:20-0:36.) This is Benedict’s last appearance in the movie.
The reason this scene is so good is that it leaves us still respecting the film’s villain by the end of the runtime. The more conventional Hollywood approach would have been to have Benedict give up his dignity. For instance, he could throw a tantrum for the audience’s amusement: stomping on the ground, screaming in frustration, etc. Although that certainly would have been enjoyable in its own way, this ominous glare in the elevator is so much better. It suggests that, if anything, Benedict’s ruthless, machine-like resolve has only been strengthened by his defeat.
The crucial effect of such an impressive show of fortitude is that it dramatically increases, by extension, our respect for the thieves who have bested him. They’ve conquered (for the moment) a truly formidable foe! Had Benedict appeared to be broken by the successful heist, we wouldn’t have been able to help suspecting that our heroes merely lucked out by picking a weak adversary.
Unfortunately, the film’s sequels, so tantalizingly set up by this excellent conclusion, take the opposite approach, as both movies culminate in the villains stammering and blinking stupidly in utter humiliation. This is supposed to be crowd-pleasing, and it is. But in the larger scheme it’s deflating, as it leaves us wondering how hard it really could have been to steal from such pathetic losers. The first of the trilogy succeeds where the others fail, because we want—though we may root against them—bad guys we can trust.
-Jim Andersen
For more Best Scene In… content, check out my piece on the Best Scene in Beauty and the Beast.