The Italian Job Review
by Michael J. Gold (mjgold01 AT yahoo DOT com)June 23rd, 2003
The Italian Job ***
Directed By: F. Gary Gray
Written By: Donna Powers and Wayne Powers
Music By: John Powell
Charlie Croker: Mark Wahlberg
Stella Bridger: Charlize Theron
John Bridger: Donald Sutherland
Handsome Rob: Jason Statham
Lyle: Seth Green
Left Ear: Mos Def
Steve: Edward Norton
Running Time: 1:44
Rated PG-13 (for violence and some language)
Reviewed by: Michael J. Gold
Aging thief and safecracker John Bridger (Donald Sutherland) has handed over the reigns of his expert team to his protege Charlie Croker (Mark Wahlberg). The team steals $35 million in gold from, well we're not sure who they stole it from, or why it was in the location it was in, but that's not really what's important to the film.
The team consists of Handsome Rob (Jason Statham) who is in charge of driving the getaway car, Lyle (Seth Green) a computer genius who claims to have been the true inventor of Napster, Left Ear (Mos Def) who is the demolitions expert and Steve (Edward Norton). Based on these descriptions is there any doubt of which of the team members will be the one to turn on the others and take all the gold for himself.
Realizing that the band of thieves would never stop looking for him, Steve kills John and then tries to kill the rest of the team. So, rather than splitting the gold evenly six ways (coming to about $6 million each) Steve obviously must split a portion of the gold with those who have helped him to steal it from John, Charlie and the rest of the gang.
Were I Steve, I might be worried that this new band might get the bright idea of bumping me off along with the others and keeping the gold all for themselves. Again though, this is really all simply setup to give the characters a motivation to try to steal the gold back from Steve and avenge the death of their former leader. In order to accomplish this they will need a new safecracker and who better than John's daughter, who also happens to be an expert locksmith and safecracker.
All of the actors give very respectable performances, however, it is Seth Green who stands out in an absolutely terrific comedic role. For a dramatic balance, Edward Norton rings completely true in the role of the double-crossing thief as the two-time Oscar nominee makes superior acting look easy. Norton is a huge talent who skill as an actor increases with each passing year.
"The Italian Job" is not a great film and certainly has more than its share of plot holes, but the schemes are ingenious enough that we are willing to just go along for the ride. Director F. Gary Gray has given us several striking locations from the canals of Venice to the Swiss Alps before moving into the United States and delivers several very skilled chase scenes. In all, this is a film that should not be thought about but simply enjoyed as a fun diversion from the encumbrances of everyday life.
Copyright 2003 by Michael J. Gold
Michael Gold
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