THE ITALIAN JOB — ** 1/2 — Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Edward Norton, Seth Green, Jason Statham, Mos Def, Donald Sutherland, Franky G; rated PG-13 (violence, profanity, vulgarity); see "Playing at local movie theaters" for complete listing of local theaters.To its credit, "The Italian Job" at least feels less like the big-budget, small-brained remake so many of us feared it would be. However, there are times — especially in the final third — when this caper thriller feels less like a feature film and more like an extended automobile commercial (for Mini Coopers, featured extensively throughout the film).
Also, it's lacking the sense of whimsy that was so plentiful in the 1969 original. Still, it is a little bit fun, and it moves quickly enough that the huge plot holes and missing transition scenes are not as glaring as they might otherwise be.
Mark Wahlberg stars as Charlie Croker (the role originally played by Michael Caine). He's the leader of a group of thieves who manages to pull off a daring daytime heist of gold bars in Venice. But they are then betrayed by one of their own, Steve Frezelli (Edward Norton), who shoots and kills their mentor, John Bridger (Donald Sutherland), and leaves the rest of the crew for dead.
A year later, Steve has resurfaced in Hollywood — as has Charlie, who's still set on revenge. To that end, he's recruited Bridger's daughter, Stella (Charlize Theron), to join them. And she's got her own score to settle with Steve.
To recover their ill-gotten booty, they've got to get past Steve's security systems and allow enough time to escape. So computer wiz Lyle (Seth Green) hacks into L.A.'s traffic systems to initiate a series of roadblocks.
The film is nicely paced by director F. Gary Gray, who, unlike some of his filmmaking brethren, knows when to keep the camera moving and when to keep it static. The finale features one of the better car-chase scenes of late (especially compared to the jittery, video-game-style mayhem in "The Matrix Reloaded").
But the dialogue is not as crisp as it could be. And Wahlberg is a little bland. He and the considerably more charismatic Theron also lack chemistry.
On the supporting side, Green manages to steal a few scenes, as does Jason Statham, as the getaway driver. Sadly, the film also features one of Norton's flatter performances; Gray doesn't really coax much out of him, save a little oiliness.
"The Italian Job" is rated PG-13 for violence (gunplay, and both vehicular and explosive mayhem), occasional use of strong profanity (including one utterance of the so-called "R-rated" curse word) and some vulgar gestures and sexual innuendo. Running time: 104 minutes.
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