Rating of
3/4
Polished, Astute Heist Film
Franz Patrick - wrote on 11/12/08
I saw this movie back in 2003 but I find it amazing that I don’t remember anything about it except that one tunnel scene near the end. So, I decided to watch it the second time and was reminded of how much I liked it the first time. I like that this isn’t the kind of caper film that takes itself too seriously. The tone of the picture is very light–it has that laid back, vacation feel that makes me want to go outside and frolic with nature. The characters of Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Jason Statham, Seth Green, and Mos Def are very funny in their own ways (I loved the Napster jokes!) but also very smart which makes them that much more interesting. I don’t know if I completely bought Edward Norton as the villain but I felt that he had fun with his character so I played along with it. And I must say that I’ve never seen MINI Coopers look so cool prior to this film. There were two highlights: the heist in Italy and the battle between the Wahlberg’s group and Norton on the streets (and underneath!) Los Angeles. Those scenes were so exciting, I tried not to blink. There were definitely scenes that made me think, “Wow! That’s so smart!” so not only was I interacting with it, I was also having a good time. I’ve always been a sucker for caper movies that involves gathering a group of people with disparate abilities with one goal at hand so it wasn’t at all hard for me to embrace this film. Luckily, this one is entertaining and fast-paced.
