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The Italian Job (Widescreen Edition) Customer Reviews (31 - 33 of 47 Reviews)
a "Job" well done!
I've just gotten around to seeing this movie on dvd and I'm glad I did. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I haven't see the original film but I certainly found this remake a thrill ride and felt the actors did a good job with their roles. Mark Wahlberg is good as the ring leader, Charlie, and Charlize Theron, the lovely Oscar winning actress makes a tantalizing partner for the team as Stella, a whiz at opening almost any safe. Edward Norton is very good as the sleezy, one-time friend turned villain, who becomes the target of Charlie and Co after a major betrayal.
Other cast members include Seth Green, as a computer geek nicknamed "Napster" and Donald Sutherland as Stella's father, once the leader of this team of charming thieves. This is a good action film and worth seeing.
A waste of a great cast
Whatever your thoughts on the original movie, last year's The Italian Job has very little in common with it, only referencing the former once when talking about car chases. If anything, this seems to have been influenced by Ocean's Eleven more than anything else in it's efforts to be achingly cool. Unfortunately it just doesn't succeed. The plot is minimal, but that's not really the complaint given the fact that you don't go and see this kind of film for the plot. You go to see it for the action, and here's it's pretty stinted and unexciting. The direction is so sloppy that virtually no tension is built up in the various heist sequences, and the beautiful Venice backdrop is barely utilised at all. More importanly, the return of the Mini chase sequence is distinctly lacklustre. In recent years both The Rock and The Bourne Identity have given us much better car chase scenes, and this one really falls flat.
In many ways it's a shame this isn't any better, because its cast really is superb. If you can forget about the wooden star quality of Mark Wahlberg, then you've got Oscar-winner Charlize Theron and Oscar-nominee Edward Norton is supporting roles. Unfortunately both actors aren't given nearly as much screen time as you might like, Norton's role amounting to little more than a cameo. Contractually obliged to take the role, this is least distinguished role yet, a shame given the fact he is such an astounding talent. Anyone wanting to see him in better roles would do better to check out American History X or 25th Hour. Perhaps surprisingly, the best performances come from the minor players of the crack team. Seth Green really hits his stride here, capitalising on his Austin Powers and Buffy fame to give the few laughs the film contains. Jason Stratham is also very good, though his persona from Snatch may wear thin before too long.
Like I said, the main problem with The Italian Job is that it's so boring, overlong, cheesy and unexciting. There are heaps better action movies out there - Speed and True Lies spring to mind - and as far as heist movies go, Ocean's Eleven, and even the uneven The Score, have this beat. This is bland anodyne Hollywood stuff, and it's particularly offensive for its waste of good talent.
Good Entertainment, Certainly Not a Classic ,3 1/2 Stars
THE ITALIAN JOB, most of which takes place in Los Angeles, begins with its best sequence of scenes. In this opening, a group of thieves are using every high-tech means available to blast their way into a gorgeous Venetian palazzo and pull off an enormous heist that will net them about $35 million in gold. The subsequent chase through the canals and rii of Venice is thrilling, elaborate and beautifully filmed. The problem for me was, the film was all downhill from there. This sequence (actually filmed in Venice), was so good, I don't think the film had any way to go but down. But, even though the opening scenes are the film's very best, the rest is good enough to provide an evening's entertainment and then some.
Like most heist films, THE ITALIAN JOB has an ensemble cast. The group is made up of Charlie Croker (Mark Wahlberg), explosives expert, Left Ear (Mos Def) computer geek, Lyle (Seth Green), veteran safecracker, John Bridger (Donald Sutherland), Handsome Ron (Jason Statham) and Steve (Edward Norton). One of this group betrays the others and the heist in Venice doesn't come off exactly as planned.
A year later, in Los Angeles, the group reassembles, joined by John's gorgeous daughter, Stella (Charlize Theron), to exact revenge, which of course involves another heist.
The first heist, in Venice, was terrific, but the second one, for me, was too elaborate and over-the-top (and I adore things that are over-the-top). It's impossible to take it seriously, but it could have been a lot of fun. I say "could have been," because I'm sure the makers of THE ITALIAN JOB wanted us to take it seriously. This is a much less lighthearted film than was the original, starring Michael Caine.
I think all of the actors do a great job and, despite the fact they're crooks, they're likable. (They aren't pulling the second heist because they want the loot, after all, they're doing it to avenge a betrayal.)
Although THE ITALIAN JOB is fast paced and has plot twists and surprises, unlike some caper movies it's still possible to follow the storyline without taking notes or having perfect recall, something I appreciated. There's also some humor in THE ITALIAN JOB, but don't expect a comedy crime caper. THE ITALIAN JOB is, for the most part, dark.
While THE ITALIAN JOB is entertaining and well made, it's lacking in believability and Wahlberg, while a very good actor, lacks the charm, class and polish to carry off a caper role like this one to perfection (he definitely needs to be more "Cary Grant" for this type of role). People who are looking for a remake of the original film won't find it here. This is a darker, more action-filled version, with less emphasis on comedy and character.
All in all, I found THE ITALIAN JOB great for an evening's entertainment, but it certainly wasn't memorable and it certainly wasn't a classic a la the wonderful HEIST.
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