The Italian Job

The Italian Job
by F. Gary Gray

Category: DVD
See more DVD releases

(Click here)

DVD Cover Information

Movie Reviews of The Italian Job

Movie Review: Perfect Saturday Night Movie!
Summary: 5 Stars

The basic plot is a crew of criminals pull off a job - without guns - stealing gold bars. One of them decides he wants the whole shebang and steals from his pals. A year later, they try to steal the money back.

Donald Sutherland is wonderful as the master criminal mentor. Why does this actor not work more often? It's a real shame. He manages to be heartfelt, funny, wise and even sexy. A real star. Mark Whalberg underplays his straight-man part as the junior master criminal, and it's a good choice as the rest of his crew is very colorful, so he gives balance to the ensemble.

Seth Green does what he does best - don't ever grow up, Seth! Jason Stratham, the British actor, has a chance to relax in a non-death/bullets everywhere type movie and reallly shines. When he turns on his mojo to ensnare the actress from The Man Show, you can practically smell his testosterone. Instead of hearing how he manages to charm his target, we get hysterical dialogue supplied by nerdy, woman-challenged Seth Green as he watches in admiration and frustration.

Charlize Theron has never been spunkier or more vulnerable as the daughter of Sutherland. She drives fast and cracks million-dollar safes and makes it all very believable. Edward Norton is truly slimey - a crook with no imagination, who spends his ill-gotten gains on the very toys his betrayed comrades wished for, in effect, stealing from them twice.

The director manages both his ensemble cast and the action with a deft touch. The movie never drags but instead has a nice varying dynamic from fast to slow to fast again. Unlike "Oceans Eleven," things go wrong in this movie, plans are changed.

The music is a nice blend of hard-pounding soundtrack and classic songs. The two chase scenes are very fun - the first being motorboats in Venice canals, the second of course the Mini Coopers driving through tunnels, by trains, up on sidewalks, and through aquaducts. The cars seem cooler than any of James Bond's by the end of the movie.

Comparisons with "Oceans Eleven" and "The Score" are inevitable and I have to say I liked this movie better than either of them. "The Score" was tired, slow and pretty much boring, just really run of the mill. "Oceans Eleven" was fun, but it was a movie that showcased its stars. It was pure Hollywood, sterile, clean, no one really gets hurt and there's no hint of danger.

This movie is grittier and shows not only the master criminals but the seamier side of crime such as the Ukrainian mobsters who make our mafia look like schoolchildren. Justice is certainly served by the end of the movie, but they very cannily leave it up to our imagination.

This movie is definitely worth full price at the theaters, and worth seeing on the large screen. It's also one to own, for the soundtrack if nothing else.

Summary of The Italian Job