35 Million Reasons to love The Italian Job!

The Italian Job

Although it is not a threat to win an Oscar, it is an immensely enjoyable film. Point of fact, I think it is more enjoyable than many of the so called best films of the year.

The Italian Job is a fast paced, action packed movie about a heist of Thirty-five million dollars worth of gold bars right from under (literally) the noses of the guards.

Characters:

CHARLIE CROKER - Mark Wahlberg
STELLA BRIDGER - Charlize Theron
STEVE FREZELLI - Edward Norton
LEFT EAR - Mos Def
LYLE - Seth Green
HANDSOME ROB - Jason Statham
JOHN BRIDGER - Donald Sutherland
WRENCH - Franky G

DA CROOKS

John Bridger/Sutherland is the defacto leader, due to is advanced years and time served in jail and is also the expert safe cracker. Charlie Crooker/Wahlberg is the apparent brains of the group and the unnamed leader. Steve Frezelli/Norton is a facilitator who ultimately double crosses the gang. Left Ear/Def, who is deaf in his right ear, is the explosives expert(what a coincidence, Deaf Def). Lyle/Green is the requisite, computer expert, who claims to be the real inventor of Napster.(can we do action movies anymore without computer gurus?). Handsome Rob/Stratham is the getaway man. Stella Bridger/Theron is not part of the gang but she is Bridger's daughter and a pretty, pretty good safe cracker in her own right (The acorns and all that rot).

Action junkies should love this movie because within the first ten minutes of the movie our gang pulls off the heist, setting off a rip snortin' motorboat chase through canals of Venice (actually, a decoy while Bridger/Sutherland opens the safe underwater.

Oh, didn't I mention Venice? It seems we get a nice little travelogue with our action movie as the first 20 - 25 minutes are set in glorious Venice, at least I find it fascinating, with all those buildings coming right out of the water.

I'm a little ambivalent about the heist itself. It is both ingenious and far fetched. Maybe that's why it worked (at least in the movie). I won't tell you how it worked but it was an interesting concept.

The Plot

After our lovable crooks pull this fantastic theft and make their escape, we finally get to the plot of the movie. Our boys make it to the snow covered Alps and are celebrating with the help of bottles of hooch. Wouldn't you? They were THIRTY-FIVE MILLION smackers richer, but trouble was afoot.
As they were driving off and crossing a dam, they were intercepted by some other thugs, which worked for Frezelli/Norton.

Frezelli's plan was to steal the stolen gold for himself and, nice guy that he is, wack his buddies so there is nobody to come after him. Well after he shoots Bridger/Sutherand, the gang start the car re-e-al fast, crash the barrier and dive into the frozen lake/reservoir and go under the ice, into the ice water.
Just to make sure there are no survivors, Frezelli empties an assault rifle into the sinking car.

No survivors, end of story, right? Wrong, miraculously all but Bridger survive and after about a year they locate the double crossing #@?&$%@$& *#%*$@@# living the high life in L.A. as in Los Angeles.

After recruiting Stella Bridger/Theron, Bridgers daughter, for safecracking duty, the reconstituted gang is off to California to resteal the ill gotten gains.

One other item that is safe to reveal and is pertinent in the balance of the story, was the use of three modified Mini Coopers. Expertly maneuvering the Minis, one white, one blue, one red, through subways, an empty canal and an inner-city traffic snarl, caused by our computer guru, Lyle/Green. This really fit the somewhat bizarre feeling of the movie perfectly.

Cast/Acting

The cast seem to be well chosen and fit their characters quite well. As for the acting, this is an action movie not a drama. The acting ranged from adequate to good with the best performances by Norton and Green. Wahlberg and Theron were a little too laid back for my liking, especially since Norton killed Bridger, took their stolen money and tried to kill the rest of the gang but it's an action movie. They get some leeway, right?

Directing etc.

Director: F. Gary Gray
Screenplay: Donna Powers & Wayne Powers
Based on the Film Written By: Troy Kennedy Martin
Producer: Donald De Line
Executive Producers: James R. Dyer, Wendy Japhet, Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner
Director of Photography: Wally Pfister
Production Designer: Charles Wood
Editors: Richard Francis-Bruce and Christopher Rouse
Costume Designer: Mark Bridges
Music: John Powell

In an action movie if the special effects is spectacular, realistic and believable the director has done a good job.
I say yes, yes ,yes and yes and he kept the movie moving along at a nice pace and the most important thing, the movie wasn't pretentious, it was made to be enjoyed!

Summary

I would like to give this movie the highest rating but it had too many shortcomings. The acting was only average to good and there weren't any big surprises. Oh, maybe the double cross. I would have thought the first priority would have been to waste Frezelli and then get the money but it wasn't. Though this is an action movie the violence is restrained, their is no bloody scenes and I don't remember any swearing or sex scenes, so I would say this is acceptable for viewers as young as nine.

Final rating 4.5 stars