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The Italian Job (Widescreen Edition) Customer Reviews (13 - 15 of 47 Reviews)
**1/2 stars out of 5
F. Gary Gray directs a star-powered ensemble cast pitting Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Seth Green, Mos Def, and Jason Statham up against Edward Norton in a heist adventure film that is "Ocean's Eleven" meets "The Score." 35 million dollars in gold bars were smuggled by Wahlberg, Norton, Statham, Green, Def and Donald Sutherland. Norton turns on his crew, kills Sutherland, thinks he's killed the others and flees to Hollywood with the loot. Why is Norton always the backstabber? Now safecracker babe Theron wants revenge on Norton for killing her father, and feels that if she joins the old team in taking the gold back from him, it will somehow ease her grievance. I liked Statham and Sutherland and sometimes Green and Mos Def. I didn't like Wahlberg or Theron. As for Edward Norton- he doesn't even belong in this movie. Some of the gimmicks were fun, some of the chases were fast, some of the one-liners get chuckles, but this is just a kid's petty-thief movie. It's pretty safe to say "Ocean's Eleven" and "The Score" were much better films on their own.
Mindless Fun!!!
Starring: Mark Wahlberg
Charlize Theron
Edward Norton
Seth Green
Jason Statham
Mos Def
Donald Sutherland
Directed by: F. Gary Gray (Friday, A Man Apart)
The Italian Job is a fast-paced, entertaining, and fun crime caper. In a year of pointless remakes, this one fairs very well and boasts a terrific cast who deliver excellent performances.
The admittedly cliched plot follows the same set-up as most caper films, including the recent "Ocean's 11" and "The Good Thief," which, despite the hype, was boring and poorly edited: a crew get together to pull of a heist, the characters are briefly introduced, the preparation is set forth,and finally, it comes time to complete the heist, with lots going wrong. Despite the formulaic scenario, director F. Gary Gray's execution was high-energy and exciting, so the lackluster plot can easily be overlooked. One brilliant twis in the film has our characters rigging the stoplights of Los Angeles so they can drive right out of the city with a carful of gold (in a safe that they're stealing back after their double-crossing ex-partner, played by Edward Norton, stole it from them), with nothing but green lights, while everyone else gets red lights, thus keeping the roads plugged with the largest traffic jam in L.A. history and the police from pursuing them.
All this leads to well-staged speedboat and car chases which produces nail-biting suspense in beautiful locations. From start to finish, the filmmakers rarely pass up a joke--they even find a way to use Napster inventor Shawn Fanning in a very funny cameo.
It's true the movie may have a few plot holes, and, yes, it works a little too hard to sell a happy ending, which is the only aspect of the film that DIDN'T work. But this kind of pure escapist fare can get away with a certain amount of flaws through high spirits and sheer inventiveness - both abundant qualities in The Italian Job. It's an adventure and a character study and a hoot-and-a-half worth of laughs. Frankly, all summer movies should be this much fun.
Pop the popcorn and kill 90 minutes
You'll enjoy "The Italian Job" if you take it for what it is: a summertime caper movie. It will entertain you for an hour and a half, but there's really nothing you'll take with you.
All the actors are fairly unique and fun to look at. Mark Wahlburg is the brains of the bunch, but he's sensitive too. Jason Statham stands out as "Handsome Rob" who is a wheelman as well as a ladies man. Charlize Theron holds a subdued beauty and confidence in this film.
However the characters are not larger than life like the characters in Snatch or Oceans Eleven, but they also don't try to be authentic like characters in The Score or Spy Game. This middle ground approach leaves the characters a little bland and forgettable.
The plot is fair, though it is a little predictable. There are heists and double-crosses. Much of it is a setup for the stunts, which are pulled off well and don't show any major flaws. The Mini Coopers are fun to watch.
However, the plot is also a setup for heavy product placement, including the Mini Coopers, several Napster references, and a prominent Pepsi truck used in one of the stunts.
I liked that this film did not rely heavily on profanity or violence. None of the protagonists used weapons, and I cannot recall any of them swearing. The biggest laugh of the film for me was when a 400 pound gangster called another character a "mother freaker." It has a PG-13 rating because Edward Norton whacks a couple guys with guns.
I recommend this movie if you're looking to kill 90 minutes, but don't expect a lot of brain work or redeeming value.
Pros:
-simple, straightforward, fun caper movie
-no profanity
-the heroes use no weapons (besides a fist)
-directing is clean; no major flaws
Cons:
-cliched and predictable
-heavy product placement
-won't leave you with any redeeming value beyond pure entertainment
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