Reviewed by: Joe

Directed by: F. Gary Gray

Produced by: Donald De Line

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Edward Norton, Charlize Theron, Christina Cabot, & Mos Def

Released: May 30, 2003

Crime/Gangster and Action/Adventure A band of thieves, led by Charlie Croker (Wahlberg), pulls off the ultimate heist by rigging the stoplights of the city of Los Angeles so that they can drive right out of the city with a carful of gold (in a safe that they're stealing back after Croker's double-crossing ex-partner, played by Edward Norton, stole it from Croker first), 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.

There a reason why the Paramount marketing team is focusing on The Italian Job’s action sequences; the film has no real star power behind. At least none that would bring in a reasonable crowd on their name alone. Mark Wahlberg, who, as it was said before, best known for his performances in past remakes, show improvement in his acting ability from his previous entries but not enough to solidify him for anything outside of future remakes. Edward Norton, best known for his roles in American History X and Fight Club, gives a wonderfully villainous performance that will leave everyone watching the film absolutely despising his character. Charlize Theron gives a decent performance in this film but still leaves a sense that the filmmakers used her just as eye-candy for this feature. Not her fault, but obviously there could have been better used for her in this film. And Donald Sutherland gives a delightful performance despite his limited time on screen.

Overall, the amusing performances and spectacular action sequences save this film from being less then a mediocre retread. Unfortunately as good as the filmmakers try to make this film out to be, The Italian Job doesn’t even come close to the prestige of other crime capers such as Ocean’s Eleven. There may be many reasons behind this; the fact that none of the performers, outside of possibly Edward Norton, have really showcased their full acting talent in any other high-profile features to make this more then just humorous or slightly enjoyable. Maybe it’s the fact that, unlike Ocean’s Eleven, the audience pretty much knows what is going to happen before they even get comfortable in their seats. Blame the marketing for pretty much showcasing the entire film in the trailer but the premise itself doesn’t help the suspense factor of this film either. Had the filmmakers added a few more twists and turns in the plot of the remake rather then just modernizing the original crime capper then maybe this would have been more then a moderate piece of escapism. Rather then dwelling on what could have been, The Italian Job doesn’t require you to leave your head at the door like other summer features but it does test the believability of some movie-goers.