The Italian Job

release year: 2003
genre: crime action
viewing setting: theater, 6/28/2003

synopsis: After a $35 million gold heist, a team of thieves is double-crossed; a year later, they begin plotting to get their gold back.

impressions: Good crime caper. It had a lot of neat planning and execution stuff. There were some good driving/chase scenes too.

things to watch for: The big chase at the end.

something this movie has that no other movie has: A trio of customized Mini Coopers in a long chase through a subway and on the streets.

acting: Mark Wahlberg did a good job as the leader (or should I say successor to the leader.) Jason Statham (see The Transporter) made a convincing and funny getaway driver. Charlize Theron was okay as the daughter of the team's slain boss, and a safecracker besides. Seth Green was annoying as a computer hacker, and the Napster joke got old. Edward Norton did a good job as the unpleasant a-hole traitor bad guy. I wasn't impressed with rapper Mos Def, who played the explosives expert - though I have to say, 95% of the audience must have come there to see him, judging from their reactions to his lines (and their utter ignorance of all other parts of the movie as well as general theater ettiquite.)

final word: Good caper/chase flick.

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