George Clooney’s 90s Crime Comedy Is in Fact Better Than Ocean’s Eleven

Back in the 2000s, George Clooney ’s name was strongly associated with crime flicks, as he starred as Danny Ocean in Steven Soderbergh’s hit trilogy Ocean's Eleven (2001, 2004 and 2007) that brought him worldwide popularity and the status of a sex symbol.

Few people know, however, that the actor, who rose to fame after breakthrough roles in From Dusk till Dawn (1996) and Batman & Robin (1997), starred in another crime comedy. The 1998 film is still hailed by fans who claim it can even beat Ocean's Eleven.

Its plot revolves around Jack Foley (Clooney), the country’s most successful bank robber who has just gotten out of prison. However, the night when he busts out he realizes that his new robbery is getting out of hand, as he steals the heart of the U.S. Marshal Karen.

Jack falls hard for her himself, and both his career as a thief and freedom are now in question, as the two try to figure out if there's more between them than just the law.

The movie appears to be really reminiscent of Ocean's Eleven: there are lots of jokes, elaborate crime plans and, of course, sex. It is also directed by Soderbergh in his first attempt to enter mainstream cinema that turned out to be quite successful.

This flick is also very similar to Quentin Tarantino-directed gems of the 1990s, Pulp Fiction (1994) and Jackie Brown (1997). They all share some memorable stylistic decisions, adrenaline-pumping sequences and razor-sharp dialogues between the leads.

Besides, both Clooney’s comedy and Tarantino’s Jackie Brown are based on Elmore Leonard's crime novels, Out of Sight (1996) and Rum Punch (1992) respectively.

Titled Out of Sight after the book, it sticks very closely to it and enhances the greatness of the original by leading performances. Clooney is here co-starred by Jennifer Lopez, whose Karen can be considered one of the best female leads in crime movie history.

“Might be my favorite Soderberg film. Really excellent,” admits Redditor @rube_X_cube about this 94%-rated flick.

At the same time, Ocean's Eleven managed to earn only 83% of critical acclaim on Rotten Tomatoes, but, obviously, much more box office money.

You can do this hidden gem justice by streaming it, as George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez’s Out of Sight is available on Prime.