Enjoyable heist movie

Rating: 8/10 (20 August 2007)

Criminals are betrayed by one of their own and become set on revenge in "The Italian Job,) a 2003 film starring Mark Wahlberg, Edward Norton, Donald Sutherland, Charlize Theron, and directed by F. Gary Gray. Gray never lets the pace up, keeping the viewer hooked all the way.
The beginning of the film is really the best, when the thieves pull off an astounding heist of gold bullion in Venice. The scenery alone is worth the whole film. Then the action shifts to Los Angeles some time later. The thrills never really let up. It's reminiscent of "Ocean's Eleven" where, if you stop and think about what the criminals are doing, you realize it's completely impossible, but you go along with it because it's so clever.
What made the film especially interesting for me is that the story and execution really depended on the actors not at all. Someone commented that Charlize Theron was doing an Angelina Jolie role - all of the actors, while okay, were doing roles that could easily have been played by someone else. This includes Donald Sutherland's short but sympathetic role. Some films are dependent on special effects; this film is dependent on moving breathlessly from one thrilling car chase or dangerous situation to another. This was particularly true at the end, when every time it looked as if the situation was resolved, there was another roadblock to overcome.
I did not see the original film but will seek it out. This "Italian Job" is clever, with some humor thrown in, and very exciting. A highly recommended rental.