# Nagging Ocean's 12 question \[spoilers right up front\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 11, 2007, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nagging-oceans-12-question-spoilers-right-up-front/407558 "2007-06-11T14:12:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FlyingDragonFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c89c15/32.png) [@FlyingDragonFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingDragonFan)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2007, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nagging-oceans-12-question-spoilers-right-up-front/407558/1 "2007-06-11T14:12:40Z")
I’m going to be asking about the twisty-like ending of the movie, so if you haven’t seen it and don’t want the ending spoiled, back on outta here now … OK, so I watched _Ocean’s 12_ the other day, and I’m confused about the ending. Toulour bets Ocean that the one who can steal the Fabergé egg is the better thief. Ocean and crew attempt to steal the egg, they all get busted, and then escape with Linus’ mother’s help. Danny and Tess go to see Toulour, he tells them how _he_ stole the egg first, and then they tell him how they stole egg _first_ first. Okay, I understand how it happened, I just don’t get the _why_. Why did Ocean and his crew go through the whole trying to steal the egg from the museum farce if they already had the real one? Just to string Toulour along? The [Wikipedia page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean's_Twelve) says that Le Marq was responsible for the whole situation, but I still can’t get my ahead around why. Can anyone fill me in? ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2007, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nagging-oceans-12-question-spoilers-right-up-front/407558/2 "2007-06-11T14:19:17Z")
I think that the official answer was that they had to look like they were trying to steal the egg, or Toulour would have realized that something was up. But really, you’re trying to understand a stupid, stupid movie. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2007, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nagging-oceans-12-question-spoilers-right-up-front/407558/3 "2007-06-11T15:25:12Z")
I don’t think there’s a good reason for it. Once The Fox puts the money in “escrow” with LeMarc, LeMarc might as well have just gone, “ha ha, I have your money” because the contest was rigged. Now, if they had started the contest on a certain date, then when Ocean’s crew got the egg, they should have just gone up to The Fox and said, “it’s over. We got it already.” Basically, it was all just audience manipulaton. This movie is really just an exercise in cool. FTR, I love this movie, but it doesn’t make sense. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingDragonFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c89c15/32.png) [@FlyingDragonFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingDragonFan)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2007, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nagging-oceans-12-question-spoilers-right-up-front/407558/4 "2007-06-11T15:49:48Z")
[QUOTE=Trunk] Basically, it was all just audience manipulaton. This movie is really just an exercise in cool. [/QUOTE] That’s what I was afraid of, but I was hoping there was some better explanation. ---
**Author:** ![Atrael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Atrael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atrael)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2007, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nagging-oceans-12-question-spoilers-right-up-front/407558/5 "2007-06-11T16:01:53Z")
Well, sort of. Keep in mind that it wasn’t just about stealing the egg and getting the money. It was about punishing The Fox for breaking the unspoken ‘rules’ of being a thief. That’s what I got out of it. Lemark helped set the whole thing up so that he could show his disappointment to Foxy in a way that was unique to their profession. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2007, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nagging-oceans-12-question-spoilers-right-up-front/407558/6 "2007-06-11T16:16:03Z")
I never even bought the switching-backpack things. How did they know what the real egg would be wrapped in? How would they know there wasn’t something else in the backpack? What’s the likelihood that the guy who owns the backpack wouldn’t recognize upon true examination that the similar backpack truly isn’t his? All in all, dumb-dumb-dumb-dumb-dumb. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2007, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nagging-oceans-12-question-spoilers-right-up-front/407558/7 "2007-06-11T16:24:29Z")
[QUOTE=ArchiveGuy] I never even bought the switching-backpack things. How did they know what the real egg would be wrapped in? How would they know there wasn’t something else in the backpack? What’s the likelihood that the guy who owns the backpack wouldn’t recognize upon true examination that the similar backpack truly isn’t his? [/QUOTE] I bought all that as much as I buy the details in ANY heist movie. They did a quick reveal of that heist, but I assumed they had an inside man, or some kind of insider knowledge, and a great duplicate for the egg. However, there really was no good reason for the two biggest and most focussed upon heists in the movie. I thought the movie worked on a micro-level, but not a macro-level. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2007, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nagging-oceans-12-question-spoilers-right-up-front/407558/8 "2007-06-11T17:44:18Z")
I enjoyed this movie immensely despite the obvious audience ploys and non-sensical-ness. Whenever I stumble upon it I have to watch it- is it me or are they playing this one nearly as frequently as **The Shawshank Redemption**? I love some of the little things, like the look on Clooney’s face when he’s just staring at Damon when they’re sitting in the cafe and Damon’s trying to say the right thing to Matsui. It’s a very enjoyable movie if you can shut your brain off and let it kind of flow over you. ---
**Author:** ![diku](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4af34b/32.png) [@diku](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diku)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2007, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nagging-oceans-12-question-spoilers-right-up-front/407558/9 "2007-06-11T18:14:44Z")
[QUOTE=ArchiveGuy] I never even bought the switching-backpack things. How did they know what the real egg would be wrapped in? How would they know there wasn’t something else in the backpack? What’s the likelihood that the guy who owns the backpack wouldn’t recognize upon true examination that the similar backpack truly isn’t his? All in all, dumb-dumb-dumb-dumb-dumb. [/QUOTE] Cause the guy with the backpack worked for Le Marq, and that’s how he get the Egg to them without anyone spotting it. Or at least, that’s what I’ve always assumed.