The Italian Job

After pulling off an elaborate job in Venice with a $32 million dollars worth of gold bullion as the score, Charlie (Wahlberg), Lyle (Green), Handsome Rob (Statham), Left Ear (Def) and John (Sutherland) are planning what they are going to spend their share on. What they didn't plan for was the last member of the gang, Steve (Norton) double crossing them and taking the loot for himself. One year later, Charlie finally tracks down Steve to L.A. and starts formulating a plan to get revenge by getting the gold back.

Remaking a movie that has become a British institution, where does Hollywood get the nerve? Well that's what everyone thought until you actually see it.

The film should be labelled "inspired by" and not a remake as it only has four things in common with the original 1969 classic, the title, the Charlie Croker character, the gold and the minis. Everything else is different. There is an opening heist in Venice, where the movie gets its title but the rest of the film takes place in the US. While there is an injection of humour, mainly coming from the banter between the supporting cast, the film is played straighter than the tongue in cheek original but it benefits from this as it distances itself from any preconceptions you may have had.

The cast is good and easy to get behind. Mark Wahlberg doesn't have the charisma or style of the 1960s Michael Caine but this is a decent role for the actor. He is the apprentice taking over the reigns from the master and even though he is slightly too young for the part, Wahlberg plays the leader well. Jason Statham is making a name for himself in Hollywood playing the hard Brit with a certain amount of humour and cool. Seth Green is a good as always as the obsessed computer nerd with a grudge and is the brunt of most of the jokes. Charlize Theron is a beautiful as ever playing safecracker Stella and Edward Norton, even under contractual obligation and on autopilot, brings abit of class and menace to any screen villain.

The movie comes into its own when the real stars take centre stage, the Mini Coopers. The car chases above and below the streets of Los Angeles are terrific, showing what good stunt driving can really do without the need for any computer enhancement.

This version of the Italian Job is more akin to the Ocean's 11 remake. While it doesn't have the style and flare of the Steven Soderbergh homage, director F. Gary Gray has done enough to make this movie suitably different as to not offend fans of the original and give new audiences a really good time. Those of you how are saying "I'm not going to see that" because of a heart felt feeling of patriotism should think again, this update is pleasantly entertaining and really has nothing to do with the movie that you love and treasure.

Now where is the nearest Mini dealership?

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Widescreen 2.35:1 Anamorphic with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, this as with most modern transfers is exceptionally good. The colours are very sharp during the day scenes and with deep blacks really accentuate the darkness of the tunnel sequences. The 5.1 surround sound really comes into its own during the climatic Mini chase, as the growl of the engines and the relentless cavalcade of horns and shouting from the beleaguered people stuck in the traffic jam blurts out of every speaker.

BONUS FEATURES

Pedal to the Metal: The making of The Italian Job (18.17 mins)
This entertaining featurette has the cast and crew introducing and talking about the main characters from the movie. Director F. Gary Gray and producers Donald D. Line and Jim Dyer introduce each of the characters. The cast talk about how the actor was to work with and what the brought to the movie. Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Donald Sutherland, Seth Green, Jason Statham and Mos Def talk about each other and what they had to go through to bring the movie to the screen. Edward Norton is noticeably absent from the interviews but the cast and crew do speak favourably about him.

Putting the words onto the page for The Italian Job (5.47 mins)
Donna and Wayne Powers talk about writing the screenplay that was only inspired by the original 1969 movie and not a complete remake. This is an interesting insight into the screenwriting process and reveals how long it actually takes to produce a finished screenplay.

The Italian Job: Driving School (5.36 mins)
A behind-the-scenes look at how Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron and Jason Statham had to go on a three-week stunt driving school course to prepare for the movie. This is a funny featurette that features Jason Statham and Charlize Theron getting very competitive over who was the best at the stunts. It also takes you onto the set to show you the fruits of their training.

The mighty Minis of The Italian Job (5.38 mins)
Showcasing the iconic cars that are the starts of the original and this movie. Revealing the extent of the stunts and how many minis the production actually went through, the featurette plays homage to one of the coolest cars on the road.

High Octane: Stunts from The Italian Job (7.52 mins)
Behind-the-scenes of the Venice boat chase, the truck drop and the helicopter stunt. Highlighting the fact that the actors and stunt people did this for real with no computer graphics involved at all.

Deleted Scenes (8.38 mins)
Six deleted scenes in which actor Mos Def must be really annoyed at. Most of them are extended scenes from the mini chase but they involve a fully removed subplot where Left Eye has to take over driving from Handsome Rob. It would have been nice to have a director's commentary to accompany this so that we could understand why this amusing sub-plot ended up on the cutting room floor.

Trailer
The final theatrical trailer is also included

Easter Egg: Seth Green Gag Reel (5.55 mins)
This hidden extra features the improvisational talents of Seth Green during the TV repair van heist. This shows what a talented comedic actor Seth Green really is.

OVERALL

The five featurettes and the deleted scenes give you a very good insight into the making of the movie. The DVD cries out for a commentary track however as this is an ensemble piece that could have had a great cast chat to accompany the movie. The bonus features add extra value to what is a really enjoyable popcorn movie and will only enhance the film to fans and first time watchers alike.

DVD

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2003