This is a very good film that pulls off the rare task in outperforming its original.
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My biggest reason to watch "The Italian Job" was for the Mini Coopers. I love those little cars and when I first saw the theatrical trailer for the film, it was all about the Mini Coopers. If it weren´t for the fact that I love my Z/28 and my Wrangler more than the Mini, I´d own one. However, economics and parking spaces come into play and I will never have one of my own. So, "The Italian Job" was a quick fix to enjoy the little cars from England. The original 1969 film felt like the Mini Cooper was the star of the film and they created a script to revolve around the feisty little coupe. The 2003 remake found itself a bigger budget, some decent stars and the latest incarnation of the Mini Cooper S (now made by BMW), which is a higher performance vehicle when compared to the original film´s Minis.
Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron have been well represented by Paramount´s initial slate of HD-DVD titles. Each star has appeared in two films that have seen release on the new format. Wahlberg stars in both "Four Brothers" and this film. Charlize Theron is the rebellious "Ĉon Flux" and the love interest and safecracker in "The Italian Job." Both are decent enough young actors and they are surrounded by a wonderful ensemble cast. The always impressive Edward Norton, fellow Philadelphian Seth Green, "The Transporter" star Jason Statham, talented rapper/actor Mos Def and the legendary Donald Sutherland all lend their talents to the F. Gary Gray directed remake. This film combines a lot of quality acting chops along with the extremely talented Cooper S. The original film had Michael Caine and Benny Hill, two very familiar faces, but starpower certainly has been improved in the 2003 edition.
The general gist of the story is that John Bridger (Donald Sutherland) leads a group of professional thieves. They pull off the biggest heist of their careers and are ready for easy street when they are betrayed by Steve (Edward Norton), who guns down John and leaves the others for dead. Charlie (Mark Wahlberg), who was like a son to Bridger seeks retribution against Steve and enrolls the help of Bridger´s lovely daughter Stella (Charlize Theron). The rest of Bridger´s crew reunites with Charlie. "Handsome" Rob (Jason Statham) is the getaway driver. Lyle (Seth Green) is the computer hacker and Mos Def is the pyrotechnics expert. Though they are hesitant to go against Steve with Stella´s help, the five gel nicely and put together an impressive plan that requires souped up Mini Coopers and a lot of planning to take back the gold that Steve had stolen from them.
"The Italian Job" is an effective action film with good performances that is one of the more effective ensemble caper films that have been released over the years. I found the film to be just as entertaining and effective as the bigger "Ocean´s Eleven" and though "The Italian Job" did not feature the incredible cast that the George Clooney / Brad Pitt vehicle did, "The Italian Job" and its cast held their own nicely and I found the action sequences in this film were far more effective and provided for the greater excitement. It is hard to beat three high performance Mini Cooper S cars racing through tunnels, making jumps and stealing scenes from the film´s stars. I may be a bit biased towards some of the cast. Charlize Theron is both more attractive and a better actress than Julia Roberts and I´m more apt to view a film with the South African beauty than I am the actress with lips that go from ear to ear.
I liked "The Italian Job." The film is a lot of fun. Mini Coopers zoom across the screen and do some crazy things. Wahlberg is fine in the film. He doesn´t have the best acting range, but the role suits him nicely. Edward Norton is a fine actor and can easily pull off being the resident badass. Mos Def impresses me with each role. I remember being put off by his casting in "The Hitchhiker´s Guide to the Galaxy," but praised him after seeing the film. Theron looks good and is fun to watch in her role as Stella. Statham and Seth Green are fine in their roles, though I did get tired of the whole "Napster" thing and just wanted Seth to snap out of it. I have trouble seeing him as a computer hacker. Donald Sutherland´s time is short, but the moments he graces the screen are nothing short than regal. This is a very good film that pulls off the rare task in outperforming its original. Great fun and great little cars.
Video:
"The Italian Job" is a good looking film with beautiful Italian scenery. Yes, parts of the film take place in underground tunnels, but when we do get a few vistas of Italy, they are visually rewarding. Director of Photography Wally Pfister did a fine job with the visual appeal of the film. Of course, he had some help by having the always attractive Charlize Theron grace the screen through much of the film. She is a very lovely lady and her beauty is a benefit to the first two releases she has appeared in on the HD-DVD format. Some actors have found their faces betrayed by the higher definition format and any flaws in their skin are readily apparent. Charlize has perfect skin and the evidence is in the detailed HD-DVD transfers such as "The Italian Job" and the complete lack of any flaws in her pretty face. Then of course, there are the four Minis in the film. The elder statesmen driven by Charlize early in the film and the three new S models. Their deep clearcoats shine beautifully on this transfer.
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]19436[/release]