The opening of “The Italian Job,” a remake of a 1969 Michael Caine picture of the same name, features a crew of highly skilled, but very diverse, thieves who are attempting to get a huge haul in the canals of Venice. True to the modern heist flick formula, there is one member of the gang who is counting this as his last score before he retires to a life of luxury.
Sure, the very predictable nature of this film is a slight problem. After “The Score,” “The Heist,” and “The Good Thief,” it should come as no shock this film will be overloaded with highly stylized action, plenty of sexual tension and as many twists and turns as a contortionist.
The heist in Venice (also known as the Italian Job) is the first job for gang leader Charlie (Mark Wahlberg) who took over leadership from John (Donald Southerland), the old vet supervising the theft as his last job before retiring. Using an assortment of high-tech gadgets and the gang’s individual talents – Edward Norton is the breaking-and-entering expert, Seth Green is the computer whiz, Mos Def is the explosives expert and Jason Statham is the getaway driver – the six men get away with $35 million in gold bars.
The picture’s first twist comes when second-in-command Steve (Norton) decides to screw over the rest of his team and take the entire haul for himself, shooting John in the chest and leaving the others for dead in icy Alpine waters. Forced to grow some hideously thin, but “villainous,” facial hair, Norton isn’t quite his usual self. He has said he did the picture because of contractual obligations to Paramount, and his disdain for the project is evident in his lackluster performance.
Wahlberg, who declared “The Italian Job” his best movie ever, doesn’t quite have the same excuse for his bad acting. With the notable exceptions of “Three Kings” and “Boogie Nights,” Wahlberg hasn’t been in a good film, and his acting performances have always left much to be desired. Director F. Gary Gray (“Set It Off”) miscast the glorified underwear model as the slick, charming Charlie.
Adding to Wahlberg’s problems is a total lack in sexual chemistry with Stella (Charlize Theron), John’s estranged daughter. Since Theron is actually the best of the main actors, she exudes a slinky sexuality Wahlberg can’t handle. After John’s death, the gang needs a new safe cracker and goes for Stella, who has John’s skills but works for the police rather than her bank account. She agrees to crack Steve’s safe just to see the look on his face when he realizes his gold is all gone.
Stepping up to save the picture’s second half is the rest of the gang. Statham (“The Transporter”) and Mos Def (“Brown Sugar”), aka Handsome Rob and Left Ear, respectively. They transform their typical heist roles into highly original and three-dimentional characters. But the real star of the show is Green’s Lyle, the picture’s comic relief. In order to get Stella inside Steve’s house, Handsome Rob charms a cable repair girl in order to get her truck and ID badge (luckily, the cable company has a girl that looks like Stella). Watching from the car, Lyle invents a racy conversation between the two that could never be done justice in print.
Originally a campy British heist film, Gray has transformed “The Italian Job” into a sleak, fun to watch heist film. Although the story lacks the depth of a Dixie Cup and the third act is just an ad for the Mini Cooper (trust me, you’ll want one too), the picture is a fun escapist fantasy and worth the price of admission.
