Good movie - Too bad Mark Wahlberg was so distracting

Rating: 7/10 (29 December 2003)

There is a scene at the beginning of The Italian Job that let me know I was seeing something different from the average action, heist caper. During the opening chase sequence, a boat goes flying in the air and lands aground without exploding into a great ball of Hollywood pyrotechnic fire. This may seem obscure or insignificant to most, but after viewing such biennial action films as Bad Boys II and Terminator 3 this past year, where everything including a kitchen sink was blown to pieces, it was refreshing to see an explosive opportunity passed on by such a young up-coming director.
That director by the way is hit and miss F. Gary Grey who had success in 1996 and 1998 with Set It Off and The Negotiator, but came back to earth pretty hard with the gawd-awful Vin Disel vehicle, A Man Apart in 2002. To his credit, the fact that Paramount would hand the reins to such a young director to bring to the screen a remake of a Michael Caine 1969 film that is still revered by many today, is an indication of the talent he must contain. And the result, is a fun heist yarn that gives you your monies worth for two hours.
The similarities to the original film are minimal. Mark Wahlberg takes over the role by Michael Caine as Charlie Croker, a thief who has assembled a team to help steal a shipment of gold stolen from them years earlier. The assembled crew all come with new cool 21st century names and talents. Stella Bridger (Charlize Theron) is the daughter of former slain crewmember John Bridger and is an expert at cracking safes. Handsome Rob (Jason Statham) is the getaway driver, Lyle (Seth Green) is the computer expert and Left Ear (Mos Def) is the explosives expert that got his name due to a botched explosion in his youth. Together, they conspire against Steve (played by Edward Norton) who assisted in the original heist then turned on his team and confiscated the gold leaving the others for dead in the frozen waters of the Italian mountains.
As caper films go, The Italian Job zips along at a fast pace and keeps us entertained with its thought process on how to pull of the perfect crime. In homage to the original, there is an extended chase scene by three mini-Coopers through the Los Angeles subway system and into rush hour traffic that might not make the best of list that contains such classics as Bullit and To Live and Die in L.A., but does offer an entertainment value of exceeded expectations. All this culminates in a concluding chapter that is both enjoyable if not foreseen.
The Italian Job's biggest drawback however is the incredible cardboard acting of its lead, Mark Wahlberg. Consistently the weakest link in better than average films (Three Kings, Boogie Nights), Mark falls this side of Ben Affleck as one of the worst actors that get plumb roles in new-Hollywood. On subsequent viewings of his filmography, I can't help but think of the lack of talent presently being exploited on screen to moderate success. Ashton Kutcher, Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett are just three more examples of why we still stand in line to see Jack Nicholson play himself over and over again in films like Something's Gotta Give.
But I digress. The review in hand is The Italian Job and despite its inferior lead actor, the movie does deliver on many levels and if it's domestic box office is any indication (over $100 million), audiences tend to agree. Thumbs up.