Where the Pro's beat a Con... Review on The Italian Job - New Movie

Plot:

A well executed Gold heist does not bring the necessary returns to a gang of six, as one of its members has other plans about what to do with the 30 odd million USD booty. He gets away with the loot after killing one of his teammate and leaving the others for dead. The four remaining members regroup and bring into their fold the dead man’s daughter in an attempt to get even with the double crosser, who now lives in a high security state of the art villa in New York…. Will they get their revenge? Well that’s a question that need not be asked. What makes the movie click is the way it depicts, how they get even.

Cast and Crew:

Mark Wahlberg (Charlie Croaker) oozes charm as the mastermind who plans the Italian job that assembles a team of professional conmen to pull off a gold heist only to be double crossed.

Donald Sutherland (John Bridger) sparkles in a brief role as a safe cracker and mentor to Charlie, who has been pulled out of retirement by his pupil. The impact he has is evident from the fact that though he has a very short screen presence, his character will remain etched in the minds of the viewer and personally I was left yearning to see more of him.

Charlize Theron (Stella Bridger)as the safe cracker’s daughter, who is also an expert safe cracker but works on the right side of the law is neat (read hot as well). She reluctantly joins Charlie in his efforts to get even with the double crosser.

Edward Norton (Shady Steve) plays the double crosser and incidentally happens to be the only character that is not given an introduction. But the way Edward carries the role lends a lot of credibility to the character. He adds layers to the seemingly predictable conman who got a little too ambitious. If you have seen the “The Score” you may find this role a wee bit repetitive.

Jason Stathom (Handsome Rob): If you liked him in “The Transporter”, you will love him in this one too, for he plays a character (the getaway expert who has a way with women) pretty similar to the one in that minus the screen time of course.

Seth Green (Lyle) plays the eccentric software programmer/hacker to the T. Supposedly the creator of Napster (a really cool side story), the role offered to him is a crazy mix of humor and intelligence and he does a great job.

Mos Def (Left Ear) is the detonation expert. He lights up the screen not just with pyrotechnics but some really cool humor. Watch out for the introductory scene that explains why he has a strange nick name – Left Ear.

Director Gary Gray comes from the music video industry and that is probably why you have a certain richness associated with the scenes and stylishness with the characters. May have slipped up a trifle, with the build up - where he gets caught in the routine maneuvers involved in heist movies, but on the whole a neat effort.

My Opinion:

I love watching movies that revolve around a heist. I must say Hollywood has rarely disappointed me when it comes to this genre of movies. I already have run up a huge list of favorites under this category, The Italian Job is my latest addition to that list not at the very top though.

If you are looking for some pure fun, escapism or just one hour forty four minutes of entertainment then this is the one for you. Though the plot itself is not original (it’s a remake of 1969, Michael Caine Starrer Italian Job) and there could be comparisons drawn to a few movies that revolve around the theme of heist, The Italian Job has certain degree of freshness associated with it. It will certainly keep you engaged from start to finish. The Gold robbery sequence in Venice which culminates in a pulsating chase through the waterways in brilliantly executed. Also the scenes that lead to the finale as well as the practice sessions involving the mini coopers are beautifully done. One must mention here that the attempt to make the action sequences purely using cinematography and editing as opposed to CGI, has been successful as it adds to the believability of the scenes. Add to this some really cool performances, slick cinematography and unobtrusive background score, you have your moneys worth of yet another Hollywood flick, that may not be a cult classic but is definitely worth a look.

If you can rent it on DVD nothing like it, for it gives you some real nice extras including making of the movie and a look at how the action sequences have been canned.