The Italian Job [Blu-ray]

Director: Gary Gray Gary Gray

Overview

A team of high-class thieves avenge their mentor's death -- with the help of his own daughter -- in this big-budget remake of the 1969 British caper classic. The Italian Job stars Mark Wahlberg as Charlie, the mastermind of a daring Venice heist overseen by John (Donald Sutherland), a lifelong criminal who plans to retire from the fold with the earnings from his most recent take. Basking in the glow of a job well done at a secluded retreat in the Alps, the thieves -- including the aptly-named Handsome Rob (Jason Statham), tech-geek Lyle (Seth Green), and hearing-impaired quipster Left Ear (Mos Def) -- are ruthlessly double-crossed by one of their own, the taciturn, calculating Steve Frezelli (Edward Norton). Time passes and each member of the group finds himself pursuing other opportunities in the States, until Charlie rallies them together for a revenge-motivated scheme designed to bilk Steve of all his misbegotten earnings. In order to cinch the deal, he even enlists John's reluctant safecracking-prodigy daughter, Stella (Charlize Theron), for an elaborate, incognito Los Angeles heist. But the paranoid Steve proves himself to be one step ahead of them at just about every turn, and Charlie finds that he'll have to make some daring last-minute changes to their plan if the team is to succeed. The Italian Job marked director F. Gary Gray's second 2003 release after the Vin Diesel vehicle A Man Apart.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/24/2006
UPC:	0097361183145
Original Release:	2003
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	Paramount
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound]
Language:	English
Time:	1:50:00
Sales rank:	18,647

Special Features

Pedal to the Metal: The making of The Italian Job; Putting the words on the page for The Italian Job; The Italian Job - driving school; The mighty minis of The Italian Job; High Octane: Stunts from The Italian Job; Deleted scenes; Theatrical trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Seth Green	Lyle
Shawn Fanning	Shawn Fanning
Eric Walker	Bully
Melanie Jayne	Skinny Pete's Girl
Martín Morales	Valet
Gloria Gontenot	Handsome Rob's Policewoman
Alfred Soltes	Left Ear's Butler
Kelly Brook	Lyle's Girlfriend
Pete Gawtti	Skinny
Christina Cabot	Christina Griego
Giancarlo Giannini	Actor
Ryan Adams	Metro Conductor
Erin Walker	Bully
Pete Anthony	Conductor
Mos Def	Actor

Technical Credits

Wayne Powers

Gary Gray	Director
Guido Cerasuolo	Producer
James R. Dyer	Executive Producer
Tim Bevan	Executive Producer
Wendy Japhet	Executive Producer
Eric Fellner	Executive Producer
John P. Fasal	Sound Effects
Wayne Powers	Screenwriter
Stefano Corridori	Special Effects
Kelsee L. King-Devoreaux	Stunts
Kate Chase	Special Effects
Thomas M. Groody	Special Effects
Bryan Bowen	Sound Editor
Michael Kamper	Sound Editor
Douglas B. Arnold	Sound Mixer
Alan Rankin	Sound Editor
Randy Kelley	Sound Editor
Peter Zinda	Sound Editor

Editorial Reviews

Mark Wahlberg proves once again that he's a capable lead with his workmanlike performance in this super-slick caper film, a vastly improved remake of the 1969 thriller starring Michael Caine. The erstwhile Marky Mark is suitably intense as the no-nonsense protégé of a ready-to-retire master thief (Donald Sutherland), who accompanies him on a Venice heist that nets their gang a cool $35 million in gold. When one of their sleazy partners (Edward Norton) hijacks the bullion and kills the aging mentor in cold blood, Wahlberg enlists his other crew members (Jason Statham, Seth Green, Mos Def) in a complicated scheme to regain the swag and wreak vengeance on the killer. Glam girl Charlize Theron is rather improbably cast as Sutherland's daughter, a talented safecracker who works as a bank-security consultant; yet she manages to convince the viewer that she's willing and eager to join the lawbreakers and take down the man who murdered her father. As has become de rigueur in today's caper movies, The Italian Job devotes considerable footage to the deployment of high-tech gadgetry by the thieves. Seth Green, whose techno-geek is the film's most colorful character, uses his computer hacking skills to paralyze traffic in Los Angeles -- a move that precipitates the film's most suspenseful sequence, an extended car chase admirably staged by director F. Gary Gray (The Negotiator) and tightly edited to maintain a crackling pace. The well-chosen cast is uniformly good, and there's considerable humor to counterbalance the tense and darker moments. Like many thrillers, this movie is at times wildly improbable -- but it's also a great deal of fun.