Review of The Italian Job (2003) by Blake P — 17 Feb 2012

Master thief Charlie Croker (Wahlberg) is pulling his latest heist in Venice, this time to steal a safe full of hundreds of gold bars. Aided by professional safecracker John Bridger (Sutherland), tech wiz Lyle (Green), the driver "Handsome Rob" (Statham), explosives expert "Left Ear" (Def), and most important player Steve (Norton), who plays the inside man, the job can't go wrong.

The heist is quick and successful, but things go awry when Steve betrays the group, kills John, and leaves the rest of the crew for help. The group all wants revenge, and plan another job to get the gold back, this time using John's daughter Stella (Theron) as the safecracker.

But Steve, who isn't a idiot, does every thing he can from the crew stealing his loot, by switching safes, having a helicopter monitor the group, and having his own crew chase them down. But Charlie isn't dumb either .

.. "The Italian Job" is considered a remake of the 1969 classic starring Michael Caine, but most consider it to be its own film. I haven't seen the original, but I can say I enjoyed this 2003 version very much.

Fast-paced, and well-done, "The Italian Job" may be popcorn entertainment, but this is one of the few times where the product is something that's a film for both critics and audiences. It may skim over a bit of character development, but in the meantime the action sequences and the cool, hip soundtrack take you away in what can purely be described as pure fun, period.

Plus, we have an extremely likable cast, with the star power Mark Wahlerg and Charlize Theron, which makes the film even more fun to watch. "The Italian Job" may be a remake, but it's a remake that's just as good as what it's based on.

Recommended.