MOVIE - THE ITALIAN JOB - Review Rating $$$$$ $$1/2 (OUT OF 10)

STARRING - Mark Wahlberg (Charlie), Charlize Theron (Stella), Edward Norton (Steve), Seth Green (Lyle), Jason Statham (Handsome Rob), Mos Def (Left-Ear) & Donald Sutherland (John).

DIRECTOR - F. Gary Gray (The Negotiator, Friday)

A remake of the 1969 crime caper, of the same name, that originally starred Michael Caine. The Italian Job mixes a gold heist with revenge and humour.

The Italian Job covers pretty familiar ground pretty well so I won't bore you with an in-depth analysis of gangster movies and their cultural significance. The Italian Job doesn't take itself seriously enough to warrant such an examination. Its purpose is simply to entertain and if you like these type of films then The Italian Job won't disappoint.

The Italian Job succeeds despite less than stellar performances by its two leading actors. Edward Norton is a good actor and he turned in an excellent performance in 25th Hour. However, he has a tendency not to put a lot of energy and effort into certain roles. Apparently he was fulfilling a contract obligation here but that's no excuse for sleepwalking through the movie (See Peter Traver's review below). He was absolutely terrible as a burnt-out FBI agent in Red Dragon and his performance here isn't much better. Keep this up and soon he won't have to worry about being obliged to fulfill any contractual commitments. Mark Wahlberg also struggles, as he did in The Truth About Charlie, unsure if he should play the part seriously or tongue in cheek.

Luckily, the supporting cast and the inventiveness of the heist(s) save the day. Seth Green (Lyle), who also recently starred in Scooby-Doo, and Mos Def (Left-Ear) are lighthearted crooks that provide genuine levity. Charlize Theron captures the ambiguity of her character perfectly and handles the transitions from lighter to serious moments very well.

The actual heists are creative (I won't ruin them for you by divulging them) and even though you know they will succeed they retain their intensity and tension. The car chases are also more entertaining and plausible than the much hyped scene in The Matrix Reloaded.

The Italian Job, while far from original, is entertaining.

Running time - 105 minutes

Alternative Reviews:

Roger Ebert's Review

Peter Travers / Rolling Stone Review

Rotten Tomatoes Reviews

The Italian Job Official Website

---

© Copyright 2003 David Schwartz. Last update: 8/9/03; 11:07:58 PM. This theme is based on the SoundWaves (blue) Manila theme.