According to the Chinese calendar, today marks the start of the Year of the Rat. Go, rats. To commemorate this occasion -- it does only happen once every 12 years, after all -- I've dedicated this Reel Releases to my favorite rats, the Rat Pack.

The coolest cats, er, rats of the late 1950s and early 1960s made up a loose confederation of entertainers led by Frank Sinatra and included Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop. Although there was never a formal agreement among the high-living members, the Rat Pack was the club everyone wanted to join.

Between Vegas soirees and occasional presidential scandals (John Kennedy was rumored to be an unofficial member of the Pack) the Rat Pack also found the time to make films.

Here are a few of the finest:

OCEAN'S ELEVEN (1960): The setup is simple. A crew of professional thieves gathers in Vegas to knock off five casinos. The heist is really secondary, though, in this film featuring every member of the Pack. The real appeal is the chemistry shared among the players and the sense of easy camaraderie that pervades the film.

RIO BRAVO (1959): Dean Martin garnered much of his reputation by playing the disreputable but charming drunk. Never was this character so clearly defined nor used to such great effect as in this John Wayne Western. Martin plays a faithful deputy whose ability to perform his badge-sworn duties is hindered by his drinking. What could have been a typical comic drunk role is given a surprising amount of gravitas by Martin.

PORGY AND BESS (1959): Although Sidney Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge play the title roles, much of this movie belongs to Sammy Davis Jr., who plays the expansive Sportin' Life. A perfect fit for Davis' talents, the role requires dramatic chops and the specific flair and talent of an experienced song-and-dance man. Today, this lovely film is rarely seen, and that's a shame.

THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM (1955): Cast against type, Frank Sinatra plays a heroin-addicted card sharp whose life is in a predictably downward spiral. This great drug drama proves, just as From Here to Eternity had two years before, that Sinatra was much more than just a pretty voice.

THE LONGEST DAY (1962): So many stars were cast in this Battle of Normandy drama that, statistically, at least one member of the Pack had to make an appearance. Peter Lawford plays an aristocratic British commando commander who, along with battle-hardened vets of the European battlefield, travels with a bagpipe player. Although he is surrounded with acting muscle such as Henry Fonda, Robert Mitchum, John Wayne and an improbably young Sean Connery, Lawford's performance as a man whose perceptions are altered by combat is a standout.

Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626 or steven.uhles@augustachronicle.com.