TNMC
This site’s design is only visible in a graphical browser that supports web standards, but its content is accessible to any browser or Internet device.
The Italian Job (2003)
The problem with remakes is that we rarely end up with ones that can be considered to be on par with or, heaven forbid, better than the original material. Therefore, it's not hard to imagine why most people dread seeing them so much. Fortunately, The Italian Job pulls through with finesse, making it one of the best movies so far this year.
"Trust everybody, just not the devil inside."
The stage is set in Venice and the target is thirty-five million dollars worth of gold bullion. John Bridger, a master safecracker, is about to pull the last job of his career. Only this time he isn't running the show, that responsibility has been passed on to his successor Charlie Crocker, the mastermind behind the whole scheme. Everything goes according to plan, until one of them decides to doublecross the rest of the group. Now, a year after that unfortunate incident, Charlie finally locates the traitor's trail. He enlists the help of John's daughter Stella, who happens to be an expert on safes and locks herself. Together with his former cohorts, they will attempt to reclaim what is rightfully their's, as well as exact revenge on the person that betrayed them.
Admittedly the plot of The Italian Job follows the same set up as most caper films: a crew get together, then comes the obligatory introduction of the important players, with the explanation, the preparation and finally the completion of the heist. Despite the formulaic scenario, director Gray's execution was so energetic and thrilling that such contrivance can be easily overlooked. There were a couple of story elements that were never fully explained to my satisfaction. Such as the garbage men that were so essential to stealing the Venetian gold in the opening sequence, even to the point of canceling the operation, yet it was not shown what part they actually played in said plan. Another was the motivation behind the act of betrayal, which I thought could have been explored further, instead it was simply attributed to greed, but why did it have to be this job after working together for so long? Then there was the bridge scene where the doublecrossing took place. Obviously Steve was not about to let the other guys live for fear of retribution, but he was satisfied after seeing just one dead body, which happened to be the only person he was sure of that took a bullet. Even so, these irritations did not dampen my enjoyment of the film.
"There are two kinds of thieves in the world: ones that steal to enrich their lives, and ones that steal to define their lives."
Mark Wahlberg is likeable enough as the main character Charlie, but lacks the charisma to carry the movie himself. Luckily, the rest of the cast was more than capable of picking up the slack. Charlize Theron exudes confidence and a kind of recklessness in the role of Stella Bridger; her charm is unmistakable here. Edward Norton, on the other hand, seems to lack his usual intensity playing the villainous Steve. Seth Green is again relegated to be the token wise-cracker. Now don't get me wrong, the guy is funny and does a good job as the computer wizard Lyle, but I think he is capable of much more than just the comedy relief. Jason Statham is dynamic as Handsome Rob, and Mos Def's Left-Ear is quirky. It is a shame that Donald Sutherland's part is so small, even though his character, John Bridger, is an important aspect of the story. I confess that for most of the film I was dreading the cliched romance between the two leads that is usually found in these movies, and to my surprise the writers never resorted to it, choosing instead to ride the adrenaline rush all the way to the end. The Italian Job benefited greatly because of that decision.
The Italian Job is almost the exact opposite of The Good Thief, which I reviewed a month ago. While the former picture is full of kinetic energy with well-staged speedboat and car chases, the latter is an intense character study that emphasizes style and substance over action. Even with all of their differences, both are excellent films and have a lot to offer for fans of the heist genre. The Italian Job was a fun movie; I was pretty much caught up in the excitement after a few minutes into it and what followed was one heck of a ride. This is what summer blockbusters are all about, having a good time.
- Zalasta
What do you think? Talk about it on the Forums
