Rating of
3/4
The Italian Job (2003)
MovieAddict - wrote on 01/25/12
The story begins in Venice, Italy, where a team of expert thieves under the tutelage of Charlie Croker (Mark Wahlberg), pulls off an amazing heist of gold bars valued at $35 million. But before any of the guys have had a chance to cash in and enjoy their stake, they are betrayed by one of their own, Steve, played by Edward Norton, who kills their mentor, the beloved John Bridger (Donald Sutherland), and leaves the rest of the gang for dead in a near-frozen river in the snowy Alps.
A year later Charlie gets the gang together again and tracks Steve down in Los Angeles to settle the score. The gang consists of Handsome Rob the car expert (Jason Statham), Left Ear the explosive expert (Mos Def), Seth Green the computer whiz "Napster" Lyle and they also enlist John’s daughter Stella (Charlize Theron) who is an expert safe cracker.
Together they plot out an elaborate scheme to exact their revenge - more for their slain buddy, of course, than for the gold itself. The wisecracks from Left Ear and Handsome Rob are hilarious at times, and every word that comes out of Seth Green's mouth is amusing. The action never lets up and we are witness to some awesome chases including speedboats around Venice, and even a helicopter going up against a Mini Cooper.
