Proof That Trailers Are The Devil

Rating: 6/10 (29 May 2003)

Contains Spoiler Speaking from the perspective of being young enough to have not seen to original, this movie serves as an example of the fallen nature of movie previews. The important and fun parts of action films like "The Italian Job" are the plots twists; however, when all the twists are known to all the audience before the film starts, then the film must depend on other elements.
This is a film whose story can be summed up simply as: the crew gets the gold, Norton kills Sutherland, the crew recruits Sutherland's daughter, and then the crew finally get even. While this would normally serve as ample material for a film of this genre, it is unsatisfying because of the extensive trailer. We know that Norton kills Sutherland. We know that the crew finds Norton. We know that the daughter gets involved. We even know that in a mass traffic jam, an explosive is used to bring an armoured truck to the underground.
A caper film does not, thankfully for "The Italian Job", necessarily have to depend exclusively on action and plot twist. It can depend on things like original and comic characterization, as in "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels", but there is no Steve Martin or Michael Caine in this film. This film is a triumph of the flat character.
Alternatively, a caper film can be a success when it contains many many more twists than its trailer reveals, as with "Heist", starring Gene Hackman.

Furthermore, a film of this kind can be a good movie if, through traditional means, it proffers an important theme unto its audience. The theme of "The Italian Job" is that good guys win and bad guys lose. Ambition should be made of sterner stuff than this.
This is a film with no surprises. All is known from beginning to end. No one character is explored to the point of serious interest. While I was hoping that the trailer was a red herring, and there would be a surprise somewhere, I was bitterly disappointed. It failed to say or do anything important, which was per se the only real surprise, given Ed Norton's record as a villainous philosopher in films such as "Rounders", "American History X", and "The 25th Hour".