Rating: 
Summary: A great action movie
Review: John Bridger, an aging robber, helps out with one last job before passing the reins over to his protégé, Charlie Croker. The job: to steal a safe full of gold bricks from a heavily guarded house in Venice, Italy. The plan goes without a hitch until the team is double-crossed by Steve, one of its own members, who kills Bridger and believes the others dead.A year later, Charlie's been searching for Steve and the gold bricks and finally tracks them down to Los Angeles. With the aid of Bridger's daughter Stella, a top-notch safecracker working on the right side of the law, the team plots to exact revenge on Steve and to steal back the gold bricks. I thoroughly enjoyed this film. The script takes a back seat to the action sequences: the opening heist in Venice with a power boat chase through the canals to the Mini Coopers racing through the Metro of LA to the carfeully planned re-routing of armored cars via hacking into the traffic mainframe. The actors work very well together: Donald Southerland as John Bridger; Mark Wahlberg as Charlie Croker; Charlize Theron as Stella Bridger; Jason Statham as Handsome Rob who has a way with cars and women; Mos Def as Left Ear, an expert safecracker; Seth Green as Lyle the computer genius; and Edward Norton as Steve, the double-crosser. The DVD extras are prettygood, especially the documentary about the car chase sequence throught he Metro tunnels. This is a fast-paced, exciting movie sure to get your adrenaline pumping
Rating: 
Summary: OH YEAH! THIS MOVIE WAS VERY INTENSE!!
Review: Awesome movie that gathered my attention from begining to end. This movie was so intense I couldn't leave the room to use the bathroom. I was very pleased that Edward Norton was in this movie. I would definently recommend this movie to a person who enjoys Drama/Action!!
Rating: 
Summary: Big Budget Poor Result
Review: If you're going to re-make a movie, then do it properly. If you're going to use the same title, names and gimmick and that's it then you have 2002's The Italian Job. This was a great opportunity to re-make a classic with enough sympathy and sufficient nods to the original to make it different yet retaining all the excitement and fun of the 1969 version but somewhere along the line all of this is missing. F Gary Gray may be a decent director however, in this movie at least, his talents are wasted. With a plot that you could drive umpteen Mini coopers through, the actors don't have much to play with here; for once Wahlberg is one-dimensional. I expected more from him after decent performances in The Perfect Storm amongst others. Theron is there as the eye-candy and little else. I cringed when Charlie (Wahlberg) asks her to join up with them and she refuses at first, only to reconsider later. This was so scripted that both my wife and I correctly guessed she'd initially say no, then it would cut to her thinking of her deceased father and then she'd call Charlie to tell him she's in and instantly hang up. We've seen this so many times, this must be in the mythical 'Rules of Drama' book that most Hollywood Producers each receive upon graduating from Film School. It's no coincidence that the film goes into a tailspin once Bridger (Donald Sutherland) dies early on. There's no substance here, it's just stunts, unlikely scenarios and unlikely set-up scenes for forthcoming plot turns (I mean, who calls the cable company as soon as you lose a signal - don't you fiddle with the cables, wires, check plugs etc? And when the cable 'girl' comes, do you expect her to start opening doors for some spurious reason?). The Mini Coopers ARE this movie. Mos Def does little, Jason Statham is the charming brute driving specialist and Seth Green, who perhaps comes out the best in this movie, is the computer whiz. Oh and Norton is the baddie but then you knew that anyway. The car chases are fun; nothing like the original but fun nonetheless. The remainder is mediocre. Scripted, cliched and obvious.
Rating:
Summary: "Do it like the Italian Job"
Review: A perfect heist. World-class locations. Super-charged mini-coopers. What more can one expect from a film like "The Italian Job"? For one thing, this film has everything that a heist film can contain, such as a superb cast, a superb plot, and a superb action sequence. Much like Steven Soderbergh and his film "Ocean's Eleven," F. Gary Gray ("Friday") uses his great directoral skills to gather an unforgettable, and even likeable cast of actors that somehow are a match made in heaven with their roles. Mark Wahlberg exhibited his leadership role very well as Charlie Croker, while Charlize Theron, Seth Green (who ultimately stole the show in his hilarious imitation of Jason Statham's character with the cable girl), Jason Statham, and Mos Def all portrayed their roles very well. I also give credit to Edward Norton for his chilling role as the villianous Steve, and to Donald Sutherland for his excellent portrayal as the father of Charlize Theron's character. The cast recieves a score of 10/10. The plot is by far the best that has been written for the screen! Since it was based on the 1969 version of the same name, I believed the writers did an excellent job in adapting the classic film. I also believed that the characters were well developed and introduced smoothly, without the jumping around that most films habitually do to introduce characters. For this, I give the plot a score of 10/10. Lastly, the action sequence with the Mini Coopers was fast-paced and exciting at the same time! I was left on the edge of my seat as I watched every frame of the fast-paced sequence go by, almost rooting on the good guys to suceed. More action sequences like this are needed in every action film that comes out in theaters! The action sequence took my breath away and I give it a score of 10/10. Overall, a superb cast, a superb plot, and a superb action sequence is all that's needed to make trips to the local movie theater a worthwhile experience, especially if you like action-packed films, with a touch of humor and world-class locations!
Rating:
Summary: 'Job' Well Done
Review: Yeah, I used to drive like those masterminds in their Mini Coopers. I'm glad I'm not the only one who drives through undergrounds and speed through traffic by going on the wrong side of the road. But, I guess they had a good reason to drive recklessly... "The Italian Job" stars Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Edward Norton, Jason Statham, Seth Green, Mos Def, and Donald Sutherland. It's supposedly a remake of an old Michael Caine movie, but who cares about that when you have a great cast like this! They stole some gold in Italy (duh) and their leader (Sutherland) was double-crossed by the slimy Steve (Norton). Now Charlie (Wahlberg) and friends had to get their gold back and cash it in. Spend it wisely. I'm talking about stereo systems that are so loud that they can blow women's clothes off and a room full of shoes! This is a great movie!
Rating:
Summary: The Moose Hole - A Decent 'Job'
Review: Has Hollywood truly run out of good ideas? It sure seems that way with the large amount of sequels and remakes invading movie theaters this year. You think its bad now? Wait until next year. For the time being, let's focus on the entries for 2003. Many of the high profile features this summer are sequels including The Matrix Reloaded, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, and X2: X-Men United while remakes seemed to restricted to the lower profile projects such Freaky Friday and The Italian Job. Most modern movie-goers may not be familiar with the original The Italian Job which starred Michael Caine, Benny Hill, and Noel Coward in this 1969 British caper comedy. The latest version of the classic film features actor Mark Wahlberg, who has become known his roles in other remake films such as The Planet of the Apes and The Truth About Charlie, neither of which received exceptionally high praise from critics or the public. Will his presence in yet another remake continue the trend? Maybe the presence of Edward Norton and Charlize Theron, two other well known performers, can counterbalance any negativity from Wahlberg's past. One thing's for sure, the sight of mini-coopers driving down subway stairs sure has drawn plenty of attention. Let's just hope there's more behind this film then that. The story follows a group of thieves as they try to pull a huge heist on a former colleague who ripped them off a year ago. Charlie Croker loves his profession almost as much as his mentor. What profession is that? Theft. John Bridger realizes he is getting older and decides that he is getting to the point where he wants to slow down and spend time with his daughter. In coming to this decision, he wants to hand the reins over to Charlie in helping him pull off one last great heist before his retirement. After the crew consisting of inside man Steve, computer whiz Lyle, explosive expert Left-Ear, and wheel-man Rob are successful in this heist of nearly $35 million in gold, they are suddenly double-crossed by Steve, who kills John and leaves the others for dead. Though the others survive, they are still saddened by the loss of their group leader. That's why one year later when they catch up with their former associate, they employ John's daughter Stella in helping them steal the gold back and avenge John's death. Even without seeing the original film, the story for The Italian Job is rather predictable but it the cleverly choreographed action sequences that save this production from being mundane. 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.
Rating:
Summary: Good action movie
Review: I love Charlize and have seen every movie she's been in so far, and this one is just fun. Seems that it would be tougher than the movie makes out to crack a safe, and I'm not sure what poliece she's working for in the beginning, but who cares because the movie is one of those popcorn munching, try not to think too much good times. at least rent it and check it out.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun action movie
Review: Ok, let's face it: when you check out this movie, you are not up against the BEST action flick there is, with the greatest script or the greatest acting (though I enjoy Wahlberg's performances in general). It's a very Oceans 11-type movie (to the point of also being a remake of an earlier movie, from 1969 with Michael Caine on it): a few "bad guys" (which you end up liking in a sense) pulling off a theft of huge proportions in a very clever way, and so the story goes (not going to spoil it for you)... The embedded Mini-Copper propaganda left and right, aside (it's on every other shot or so, past the first third of the movie), it's a fun action movie more than worth renting. Not too sure about putting money on it, considering it's not extremely original or unpredictable, though. In fact, the very last scene was so overdue when it came, that I almost feared being wrong about my "prediction" for what was going to happen in the outset, which is why I give it a what I consider to be a fair three stars.
Rating:
Summary: good to kill 2 hours with...
Review: ...I'm not much of a fan of Hollywood formula action flicks, but this one had many more redeeming features than most: 1. A True Babe---in Charlize Theron, who is not only blonde but actually beautiful in a unique way (most Hollywood blondes are blandly homogenous) and can actually act. Marvelous eye candy. 2. Somewhat interesting characters---the computer nerd is pretty stock, but the others are somewhat original, esp. Handsome Rob, who's just hilarious. 3. Somewhat original action scenes---how they dislodge the safe in Venice, and then the armored car in L.A., was rather neat. 4. Unusual choice of Cool Car---I'd expect Porsches, BMWs, Ferraris...but never the Mini-Cooper, which looks the Communist-era East German Trabant, a little box on wheels. 5. Competent dialogue---most action flicks are full of clunky, hackneyed lines that just make you feel sorry for the poor actors who have to deliver them with a straight face. This screenplay in contrast seems to have been written by actual junior high school graduates. Now my dislikes: 1. Plot gets more than a little unbelievable towards the end---namely, why didn't our heroes just as easily wack Edward Norton's character themselves at the end, instead of paying off the Russian mob a huge chunk of loot to do it for them? 2. Why does Charlize Theron get to keep her clothes on in this movie? What a crying shame, especially considering she didn't in "Cider House Rules" which was geared to far less of a predominantly male audience. Wait...could it be the PG-13 rating, which would allow in a lot more prepubescent moviegoers? 3. Cheesy product placement. C'mon, a world-class professional hacker typing away at a DELL laptop for Pete's sake??? Yeah, right!
Rating:
Summary: Exciting flick
Review: I'm normally not a fan of action-type movies, but the Italian Job is really well-made and has a great plot (note: I have not seen the original). The actual "Italian Job" is a gold robbery pulled off in Venice, Italy. But it is discovered one of the team is a selfish traitor. He takes everyone else's share of the loot, kills the safecracker leader of the gang and leaves the rest for dead, but they methodically plot revenge to get their gold back - adding the 'legit' safecracker daughter of the assassinated safecracker to the team. There are plenty of plot twists, one involving the Russian mob. Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron have wonderful chemistry and Edward Norton is perfectly cocky. Seth Green is also funny as the computer hacker (again - first was Enemy of the State). The Mini Cooper chase alone is worth renting this movie - it is awesome!
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