Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Edward Norton, Jason Statham, Seth Green, Donald Sutherland, Mos Def, Pete Gawtti

Director: F. Gary Gray

Summary: Charlie, Steve, Handsome Rob, Lyle and Half Ear are a gang of criminals who are double crossed by Steve. To get their revenge on Steve, Charlie gets the gang together to rob him of all his money. However Steve always seems to be one step ahead of them...

In this wholly refreshing remake of the 1969 crime classic starring Michael Caine and Noel Coward, Mark Wahlberg stars as Charlie Croker, a smooth thief who orchestrates a flawless heist in Venice with the help of his mentor, safecracker John Bridger (Donald Sutherland). Together with his cronies--explosives expert Left-Ear (Mos Def), tech whiz kid Lyle (Seth Green), adrenaline junky Handsome Rob (Jason Statham), and the shady Steve (Edward Norton)--Charlie walks away with thirty-five million dollars worth of precious gold bars. But just when the gang appears to be headed to freedom, Steve performs a heist of his own, killing John and running off with the gold, thinking that Charlie and his mates are all deceased. A year later, Charlie has located Steve, who is gradually selling off the gold bars in Los Angeles. With the help of John's beautiful daughter Stella (Charlize Theron), a brilliant safecracker in her own right--as well as those adorable Mini Cooper sports cars--Charlie orchestrates a revenge heist that will teach Steve a valuable lesson about loyalty once and for all. F. Gary Gray's thoroughly entertaining caper film doesn't merely imitate the original, and that is what makes it such a pleasant surprise.

WIN DVDs by rating this DVD

Average User Rating:

WIN DVDS by being amongst the first to review this DVD. Reviewing DVDs earns you bonus entries and lets you WIN DVDs!Please login before reviewing this DVD. If you're a new user, register for free and enter to WIN FREE DVDs!

The greatest Brit-flick crime caper comedy of all time, 1969's The Italian Jobtowers mightily above its latter-day mockney imitators. After Alfiebut before Get CarterMichael Caine is the hippest ex-con around, bedding the birds (several at a time) and spouting immortal one-liners ("You're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!"). The inheritor of a devious plan to steal gold bullion in the traffic-choked streets of Turin, Caine recruits a misfit team of genial underworld types--including a lecherous Benny Hill and three plummy public-schoolboy rally drivers--and uses the occasion of an England-Italy football match as cover for the heist.

In his final screen appearance, Noel Coward joyfully sends up his own patriotic persona, and there are small though priceless cameos from the likes of Irene Handl and John Le Mesurier. But The Italian Job's real stars are the three Mini Coopers--patriotically decorated red, white and blue--that run rings round every other vehicle in an immortal car-chase sequence, which preserves forever the British public's love affair with the little car. Quincy Jones provided the irreverent music, naturally, while the cliffhanger ending thumbs its nose at anything so un-hip as a resolution. It's all unashamedly jingoistic--ridiculously, gleefully, absurdly so--but the whole sums up the joie de vivreof the 1960s so perfectly that future historians need only look here to learn why the decade was swinging.

On the DVD:The Italian Jobdisc contains three all-new documentaries--"The Great Idea" (conception), "The Self-Preservation Society" (casting), and "Get a Bloomin' Move On" (stunts)--which dovetail into a good 68-minute "making of" featurette. Contributors include scriptwriter Troy Kennedy Martin and Producer Michael Deeley, who also crops up on the sporadically interesting commentary track with author of The Making of The Italian Job, Matthew Field. The deleted "Blue Danube" waltz scene is also included, with optional commentary. The print is a decent anamorphic transfer of the original 2.35:1 ratio, and the soundtrack has been remastered to Dolby 5.1. The animated Mini Cooper menus set the tone perfectly. --Mark Walker

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Year:	2003
Release Date:	March 8, 2004
Runtime:	106 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	P R D 8361
Keywords:	Action, Job, General, Italian, Adventure
Genre:	Action/Adventure