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The Italian Job (Widescreen Edition)

The Italian Job (Widescreen Edition)

List Price: $14.99
Your Price: $11.24
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Almost, but Not Quite
Review: The Italian Job has all the ingredients of a slick, stirring action adventure. Based on the classic 1969 caper of the same name, the film places an emphasis on the dazzling car chases, intricate gadgetry, and high-octane explosions that routinely stimulate moviegoers. The provocative story (concerning the efforts of a group of high-tech thieves to steal the gold of a treacherous former comrade) provides director F. Gary Gray ample opportunity to delve into the intriguing themes of vengeance, greed and moral bankruptcy. Even the Los Angeles setting grants the movie a glitzy mysteriousness that seems to promise grand excitement and clever invention.

Unfortunately, these potentially glorious elements never come together to form the excellent movie that The Italian Job should have been. The blame rests primarily on screenwriters Donna and Wayne Powers, who frequently leave their characters hunched over computers discussing strategies or sitting in hotel rooms and restaurants telling ridiculous stories about themselves. Consequently, the momentum of the film frequently stalls and very little heisting actually gets accomplished. Also troublesome is the casting of lead actors who fail to instill their characters with the intensity and liveliness they need to be effective fictional creations. Mark Wahlberg is particularly disappointing as Charlie Croker, the leader and mastermind of the thieve group. Charlie is supposed to exude wily cunning and repressed rage as he plots against his enemies, but Wahlberg can barely muster the energy to squint his eyes at those he doesn't like. Charlize Theron looks equally bored as resident safecracker Stella Bridger, often fighting sleep as her character confronts personal tragedy and physical challenges. Most surprising is the mediocre performance of Edward Norton as Charlie's nemesis, the diabolical Steve Frezelli. Norton is one of the most versatile and charismatic actors currently working in Hollywood, but he fails to supply Frezelli with a single quirk or nuance that might render him more than a typical screeching villain.

Despite these considerable flaws, The Italian Job is not without its human charms. Seth Green, Jason Stathem and Mos Def all turn in humorous and stylized performances as the other members of Charlie's gang, and the touching cameo appearance by Donald Sutherland as an aging safebreaker might be worth the price of admission alone. But at almost $9.00 per ticket, even Donald would understand if someone went elsewhere for more thoroughly satisfying entertainment.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: "Not Too Bad"
Review: The Italian Job does a pretty good JOB of entertaining.I liked this movie.Well,it may not be a one-of-a-kind masterpiece but it is a movie you can lay back and enjoy.It had much action and violence and thats what made it great.The plot was alright but wasn't great.It could have been better.At first I realy wasn't interested in watching this movie.I decided to give it a chance and it payed off.The acting was pretty good and so were the graphics.If your at blockbuster on a saturday night this is the type of movie you rent as for buying I don't think so.Enjoy the movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An Amazing Movie!
Review: This is by far one of the best movies I have ever seen. It has everything that will keep you in your seat to watch it from beginning to end! But what i really liked about it, is that it was realistic and not all Hollywood Action/Computerized graphics; all of the stunts in this movie were real. The car driving scenes, the boat scenes, even the helicopter scene were all real!! No computers!! Plus, this movie actually had a good plot. Most movies now, are just all shoot 'em up, a car chase here and there, and some romance. But this movie had action following an interesting plot, and it was intelligently made with all the planning and escape routes (etc.) which made you willing for more. I recomend this movie to anyone, i gaurantee that you wont be disapointed.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Italian Job - A very good heist/caper movie!
Review: "The Italian Job" is a good, fun and intelligent "heist" type movie predicated on the revenge factor. I found this movie to be quite entertaining from the opening scene all the way to the closing scene which is a bit unusual for these types of movies.

Mark Wahlberg has certainly come into his own as a superstar and he quite well proves it with his performance in this movie. The ever beautiful and alluring Charlize Theron stars and performs quite admirably in this movie. The supporting cast of Edward Norton, Seth Green, Jason Statham, Mos Def, Franky G and a brief but poignant performance by Donald Sutherland all of which deserve high praise for their collective performances which combined, all bring this movie to a new height.

Director, F. Gary Gray also deserves praise for bringing this great heist/caper movie to fruition and putting together such a wonderful cast. The score for this film perfectly enhances the overall feel of the movie.

The Premise:

Charlie Croker (Mark Wahlberg) has planned the perfect heist and carried it out perfectly with his crew as they go to Italy to steal millions of dollars worth of gold bricks. The one thing he didn't plan for was being double crossed by a member of his crew, Steve (Edward Norton). As part of his plan in double crossing Charlie and the rest of the crew, Steve kills Charlie's mentor and Stella's (Charlize Theron) father, John Bridger (Donald Sutherland), but fails to kill Charlie and the rest of the crew as he thought he did.

What follows from there is a very intelligently written and played out heist/caper movie as Charlie finds Steve once again and enlists the aid of Stella in regaining the gold that they'd stolen.

I highly recommend this movie as it is one of the better and most enjoyable movies of its type. {ssintrepid}

Special Features:

-Pedal to the Metal: The Making of "The Italian Job"
-Putting the Words on the Page for "The Italian Job"
-"The Italian Job" - Driving School
-The Mighty Minis of "The Italian Job"
-High Octane: Stunts From "The Italian Job"
-6 Deleted Scenes
-Theatrical Trailer

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Millions for special effects; pennies for dialog
Review: This is one of those movies where the actors have a lot more fun than the audience. The car chases are swell, Charlieze looks gorgeous, but that's about it. The closest thing to humor is the Napster joke and its a sidesplitter.

Come to think of it, even the car chases aren't that hot. That's because the premise--a traffic jam--isn't conducive to much excitement. Like that movie they made a few years ago where the cars go against traffic. Yawn.

Mark Wahlberg is stuck with this insincere smile that's as phony as Tom Cruise'. Oh--for those who want to see more of the "handsome" character, that's Jason Statham. Pick up a copy of his movie The Transporter and you'll see stunning action sequences--in a movie that probably cost 1/10 as much to make as The Italian Job.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: a great cast can't rise above this ho-hum caper film
Review: This is a remake of a mediocre caper film made with Michael Caine, whose role is reprised by Mark Wahlberg; also in this update are Donald Sutherland, Edward Norton, Seth Green and Charlize Theron. You'd think with that cast, early locations in Venice and a reputedly spectacular car chase, you'd have a decent action film here, right? Unfortunately, the script is tepid at best, with poor Donald S. having to utter some of the goofiest lines I've heard in a while.

DVD extras include featurettes about the driving, the cars and the stunts as well as an 18-minute making-of feature, a trailer and 6 deleted scenes. The film can be heard in English or French with optional English subtitles.

There is nothing new or remarkable here, though it's harmless enough if you like these actors or want to see a few minutes filmed in Venice or would like to see the Mini-Cooper car chase.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good action flick
Review: Ok so it's like eating cotton candy, not a ton of substance, but enjoyable none the less. I enjoyed this action/con movie with its car chases and plot twists. I realize it's hardly original, but what is these days? I never saw the original, so I can't compare, but I'd probably watch this movie again some time, so that's a good sign to me that it wasn't too bad. That said, I'm not sure if it's more than a rental movie, after all, once you know the plot twists and what's coming next, it's hard to get excited over it again.
While there were definitely things in this film that stretch the boundaries of being even remotely probable, it was still enjoyable and I give it a recommendation to those that like films in this genre.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: So fast paced that reality takes a vacation, I loved it!
Review: The film stars Mark Walhberg, who really can't act. That doesn't matter though because the part didn't call for a great performance. Ditto for Charlize Theron. Her acting doesn't matter either because she's so attractive that all she has to do is appear in a scene and all eyes will be on her. Then there is Donald Sutherland, who does a good job in the role of her aging ex-con father who has taught her everything she needs to know about safecracking. But my very favorite actor in this film was Seth Green who is cast as a computer hacker who winds up controlling traffic jams in Los Angeles.

There's murder, of course. And lots of chase scenes. One is on the canals of Venice and involves speed boats and gondolas. The car chases are really good too. In one scene the cars drive down the stairs and on to the tracks of the Los Angeles subway. Best of all is the plot. It moves so fast and held my attention so much that I didn't have time to think about how impossible it was. And of course I was rooting for the thieves. Isn't that what a caper film is all about?

I realize that this film certainly wasn't real and most of the acting was mediocre. But I can't help it. I loved it. It was two hours of pure relaxation. And I highly recommend it as a truly fine escape film.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: One Thing Missing
Review: As I watched this movie, I kept thinking that something was missing. The look and pace were good (especially the use of Venice in the opening sequence). The writing kept things moving (perhaps at the expense of characters). But then I wondered: was it the actors?

He appears as a likable enough guy, but I've never been impressed with Mark Wahlberg. When he's onscreen with Donald Sutherland, your eyes never leave Donald Sutherland. Sutherland is a true movie star actor: even when he's just standing there, you're watching him. And I don't get that with Wahlberg (his lack of screen presence made his dim fisherman in PERFECT STORM work and the apes in PLANET OF THE APES actually showed more expressions).
The relationship with Charlize Theron is about as by the numbers as any of the heists (that could've been a cool twist that Charlie's seduction of Theron was set up like a heist?).

Everything else seems to work. Edward Norton is a suitable dirtbag and I wished the "Handsome Rob" character had more screen time.
The studio had a lot of faith in the film since it rereleased it before the end of last summer.
But I couldn't help thinking that something was missing, despite how well it played out on the screen.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: ALEXS CAPSULE MOVIE REVIEWS
Review: Highlights: Stylish direction; slick editing; Charlize Theron & Ed Norton; relentless action; good humor; superb finale.

Lowpoints: Recycled material; Marky Mark & the rest of the crew play stereotypical characters.

Conclusion: Con-movie lovers will appreciate F. Gary Gray's ('The Negotiator' w/ Sam Jackson & Kevin Spacey) comeback in top form after the unfortunate Vin Diesel vehicle 'A Man Apart'. Obviously a remake (can't they come up with an original con plot? is it THAT tough?) of a 1960's classic that starred Michael Caine, 'The Italian Job' slightly improves upon the original with stylized editing (a-la 'The Thomas Crown Affair'), tons of sly wit and sexual innuendo between the protagonists (a-la, um,'The Thomas Crown Affair'...), and a rockin' good finale (a-la...you figure it out). Mark Whalberg looks bored (what happened to him after 'Boogie Nights'?), and the secondary characters are obligatorily exaggerated (the computer wiz/nerd; the smooth locksmith, etc) Ed Norton has fun as the villain though, and Charlize Theron is sexier than ever, but what the film lacks is originality - how hard can it be to improve upon decent material?


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