Good, clean fun!! Love the Mini Cooper!

Rating: 8/10 (27 May 2003)

I was lucky enough to chance upon a sneak preview of "The Italian Job", and walked away feeling thoroughly entertained and glad that I decided to give it a try. The original, with Michael Caine was a nice caper film with a fairly simple plot and good characters. This remake is no different, expect a lightweight action-adventure film that is well worth the price of admission. The clever plot addresses all the motivations and angles for the characters, and has just enough plot twists to keep you interested without bogging you down in the minutiae. The heist and chase scenes are first rate and made the crowd buzz with excitement. Of course, the Mini-Cooper is the star! While Mark Wahlberg and Edward Norton give good performances as good guy vs. bad guy, the two leads seemed very one-dimensional. The supporting cast is top notch and very frequently steals the scene with funny, clever one-liners that drew big laughs. Charlize Theron, Seth Green, Mos Def, and Jason Statham all put in believable performances.
Overall, I really enjoyed this movie and would definitely recommend it to all of my friends as good, clean fun!