The Italian Job: Blu-ray disc DVD Review

(Originally posted May 30, 2003)

In "The Italian Job," a smart, blistering remake of Peter Collinson's 1969 film of the same name, Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron and Edward Norton star in a film whose $35 million gold heist isn’t just the prize but the problem.

At least for the characters.

The film, which director F. Gary Gray based on a screenplay by Donna Powers and Wayne Powers, lacks the original’s inspired casting (Noel Coward and Benny Hill as thieves), but it offers greatly improved stuntwork and gives a fun update to the three Mini Coopers so crucial to the plot and action.

Energetic and lean, beautifully shot and well-acted, Gray’s film is a caper whose hip style is generated almost entirely from within. That infectious style is given a lift from the looseness of its cast, which helps to create a breezy, ultra-cool mood that never feels manufactured, unlike in this year's other caper, the mildly disappointing "Confidence."

Befitting the title, the film opens in Venice with a daring heist that leads to a wild boat chase through the city's clogged canals. It's a rousing opening, one that seamlessly introduces all the major players and their individual strengths amid the action.

There's Charlie (Wahlberg), the architect behind the heists; John (Donald Sutherland), the veteran safe-cracker; Steve (Norton), whose personal connections prove vital; and Handsome Rob (Jason Statham), who knows how to handle women as well as he knows how to handle the wheel of a car or a boat.

Also on board are Lyle (Seth Green), a computer geek who claims he’s the mastermind behind Napster, and Left Ear (Mos Def), whose partial deafness proves he knows a few things about blowing things up.

Together, they’re a formidable team. But when one member of the group gets greedy and turns on the others, brazenly stealing the $35 million in gold they hauled out of Venice and leaving one man dead, the remaining members strengthen their bond and set out to destroy the dirty thief and vindicate their friend’s death.

They do so by enlisting the help of Stella (Theron), a gifted safe-cracker who has personal reasons for seeing this vendetta through: the man who was murdered was her father.

Bolstered by a brisk pace and its solid performances--Theron finally realizes her potential here, but then so does the Mini Cooper, which sees its star shine brighter--“The Italian Job” proves that for a heist movie to get the job done right, audiences will forgive minor lapses in logic in favor of style, chemistry and inventive action. F. Gary Gray comes through with just that--and then he surpasses expectations by coming through with more.

Grade: B+