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The Italian Job (Widescreen Edition) Customer Reviews (28 - 30 of 47 Reviews)
A slick, and brilliantly done caper.
A group of expert thieves led by mastermind Charlie Croker (Mark Wahlberg) and his father figure mentor, John Bridger (Donald Sutherland), successfully steals 35 million dollars worth of gold from a Venetian safe. But they are quickly double-crossed by one of their own partners in crime, who kills Bridger and forces the others to plummet into an icy river, leaving them for dead.
A year goes by and Croker contacts Stella (Charlize Theron), Bridger's daughter and a safe-cracking expert, and tells her that he has picked up the trail of the man who killed her father. He invites her to join his team and help reclaim their gold and avenge John Bridger's death.
Don't be discouraged from watching this movie by believing it to be a modernized remake of the 1969 classic. While there are definitely some connections between them (a plot-driving gold heist, car chases involving mini coopers and the movies' titles), this one is an excellently executed, Gary Gray film that shines on its own.
In a tight, solid plot it combines fast-paced action, thrilling suspense, clever and daring heists, great locales, state-of-the-art technology, engaging and witty characters, and a healthy dose of comedy skillfully added in all the right places. And the fact that it leaves out any unnecessary dramatic, life-altering issues makes it even more fun to watch.
The enjoyable mix of characters flawlessly portrayed by the actors, come alive through smart, snappy dialogues and believable characterizations. The choice of good, old-fashioned stunts that lend authenticity to the action over the not always effective CGI special effects, and the surprisingly pleasant musical score, give this movie the perfect finishing touch.
Sit back and enjoy the ride!
"I liked him, right up until the moment I shot him."
Well done! Now THIS is what I call a popcorn movie. No big drama, no great life issues; just a fun plot, great action, and good looking people packing the screen. "The Italian Job", a remake of the 1969 Michael Caine flick, is cinema escapism at its best and a great bet for a Friday night date.
Mark Wahlberg stars as Charlie, acting head of a gang of high-tech, high class thieves. He's taking over for his mentor (played by the always welcome Donald Sutherland) as his team sets up a brilliant scheme for $35,000,000 in gold bars (the "Italian Job" of the title).
But things don't go quite as planned, and one year later Charlie reassembles his mates, plus his mentor's daughter (Charlize Theron) to take revenge on the man who betrayed them and set things right once and for all.
The action here is splendid, imaginative and well filmed. The script is tight, with plenty of snappy lines to go around (including a great running gag about just who invented Napster) and the musical score is surprisingly nice. All the actors have fun with their roles, especially Seth Green as a computer geek and Edward Norton as the slimy bad guy. And of course there's Wahlberg.
I like Mark Wahlberg. I can't help it. I like him more with every movie he makes. I like his quiet, confident walk, his little boy smile, and the way his forehead crinkles whenever somebody yells at him. He seems to actually get better looking as the movie goes along, and his chemistry with Theron is low-key but sexy.
I give "The Italian Job" five stars not because it was a masterpiece, but because I had a great time and know the film will hold up well with future viewings (it was a lot like "Ocean's Eleven" in this regard). Go on and see it; you'll like it. And probably want a Mini when you get out.
GRADE: A-
(By the way, I LOVED the way our heroes never carried guns or shot anybody. Old school baby!)
90 minute commercial for the car
I like Seth Green, and he did a fairly good job taming and personalizing an overblown character.
The Italian scenery was entertaining.
...And that's where the compliments for this movie end.
The "Italian" part of this job is just the first few minutes. So is its legitimate plot & well-filmed action. After 10 minutes, you can safely ignore-- or curse at--- the remainder of the film.
This is a feature-length commercial for the small, british car that has also plagued us through product placement in Austin Powers movies.
If product placement doesn't interfere with a movie's plotline, and never makes even an astute viewer think "I've just PAID to watch a COMMERCIAL" for even one moment, then I'm OK with it. If a character in MIB (Tommy Lee Jones, Will SMith) just happens to be wearing a cool watch or sunglasses, FINE.
However, this... is not that. FAR from it. This is a movie that is so governed by its product placement, that it's a complete insult to anyone who paid to watch it, even if it's as a $1-rental-video. Plot, photography, dialogue, physics-- it's all plastic bubble-wrapping around this brick of a commercial, and it's hurled through your window.
We're asked to believe that these low-slung, cramped matchbox cars are the TOOL OF CHOICE for (get this) stealing heavy gold from a California home...that just happens to have super-wide hallways and (huh ?) special rules of physics so hallway corners, doorways, and staircases are still navigable by these pathetic excuses for cars....WHILE LADEN WITH HEAVY GOLD.
Oh yeah...and then, these selfsame cars that're pushed at us in the house, are the TOOL OF CHOICE for racing along huge truck-wide sewers and city streets.
No, no, NO ! Damnit, NO !
"THe Marketing Genius of Product Placement" let his moronic intern write this movie. Murder both of them-- No, their entire warped, pay-me-to-slap-you product placement agency.
In Japan, this movie was named after the car: "Mini, mini, mini." Doesn't that tell you everything you need to know about the film ? Go buy a movie that works to earn its purchase price, not this ersatz car commercial.
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