The Italian Job Review

Rating: 8/10 (24 September 2013)

"The Italian Job" is nothing like a real "job". This on the edge of your seat movie, makes you wanting the job of Charlie Croker (Mark Wahlberg). The Italian Job is a great action packed movie which keeps you guessing about what is going to happen next and gives you everything you want in a movie, from comedy and romance, to high intensity action that is joined by superb acting. Charlie Croker, his mentor, John Bridger (Donald Sutherland), and six man team assemble to steal millions of dollars of gold in Italy. Charlie and John plan and execute this mission to a tee.
However, after the mission is over their planning can not help them with what happens. The aftermath of losing the money affects all of the men on the mission team in a different ways, and they all go their separate ways. However fate brings them back together for a once in a life time opportunity to get back what is rightly theirs. A new member is added on to the team as a safecracker, Stella Bridger (Charlize Theron). She is not only bringing her expertise but also revenge. The team assembles and new bonds are connected between people especially Charlie and Stella. A past leaves these two with mixed emotions and tension towards each other, but their chemistry is undeniable. They were connected because of Stella's father, who was Charlie's mentor and more of a father figure to him then Stella. This creates the chemistry and tension between the two and leaves them caring for one another more than either one of them could expect.After careful planning by the entire team. It is time to take down Steve (Edward Norton). The mission has its ups and downs and in the process the action keeps you on your toes along with some laughs such as Left Ear's (Mos Def) hearing problem from a childhood mishap.
From driving cars through Los Angles's busy streets to making deals with mobsters. Director, F. Gary Gray, uses Los Angles along with Italy to provide a setting that makes space tight and the action ten time more suspenseful because of these places restrictions in ways to escape. This adds suspense to the film because of the populous places they are in.
Mark Wahlberg along with Charlize Theron and Edward Norton are captivating in this movie. The casting was phenomenal because of how each character worked with each other in the movie. Norton portrays the enemy so well by making the audience despise him. His careless and less than remorseful attitude toward Wahlberg and Theron, when realizing he has fallen for the man's daughter that he killed, makes you want to get up and punch him as Theron does in a restaurant scene. Theron's no B.S attitude makes the viewers give her respect, especially when she fights through working with the people that ultimately costed her her father. Walhberg on the other hand steals the hearts of the audience by caring for Theron's character and wanting to steal back the money from Norton to, in a way, avenge Theron's fathers death.
The action packed movie will leave you cheering for the team of cons and feeling connected to the all-star cast. This movie has everything you would want to see in an action movie, car chases, guns, fist fights, and even some under and above water chases. Even if that is not enough for an audience the clever acting, comedy, and romance that are intertwined will leave any viewers happy, and asking yourself why no other action movie has ever kept you on the edge of your seat like this.