I am waiting for an action movie that is about more than just action. I have been waiting patiently, but my patience is running thin. The Italian Job, a new remake of the 1969 film of the same name, is yet another action movie that is just about the action, so it fails.
The story begins in Venice, Italy. A group of six led by John Bridger and Charlie Croker successfully crack a safe filled with $35 million in gold bullion. They sneak off to a getaway in the Alps - I have absolutely no idea how, though. The getaway is screwed up when one member of the group, Steve Frizelli, decides to take all of the money and kill Bridger. A year later, Croker enlists Bridger's daughter, Stella, to exact revenge by taking back the gold from Steve. The rest of the story is basically about this vengeful heist.
Don't get me wrong: the action in this movie is very well-done. The editing, photography and direction in the two lengthy action sequences are great. The problem is that very little else about The Italian Job is great, or even good.
As the lead character, Croker, Mark Wahlberg (who apparently specializes in remakes of popular films) is ineffectual. He probably thinks that being understated is his best acting quality. Wahlberg is very wrong; his performance has no juice, no spunk. Basically, he seems bored to be onscreen.
His love interest, played by the always-entertaining Charlize Theron, picks up the slack. Theron seems to have more fun with her role as the adventurous Stella. The only problem is that her character is an awful driver. Her "skills" come in handy in the climax, but until then, this trait is extremely pointless.
Edward Norton does a fine job as the slick, sleazy Steve. There's not much to his character besides leering at Theron and snarling at Wahlberg, but Norton plays the sleaze well. Donald Sutherland, in what's basically a glorified cameo, is all right as the elder Bridger. Of course, Bridger gets the kiss of death as soon as he promises his daughter that the heist at the beginning of the film is his "last one." Anyone who's seen heist movies knows that line is always an omen.
The sad thing about this movie is that the supporting cast is miles away from the leads. Seth Green, who should really be in more movies, is hilarious as Lyle, the gifted computer hacker who claims to have invented Napster. As Handsome Rob, the British actor Jason Statham gets some quality scenes as the heartthrob getaway driver. Rapper-actor Mos Def also gets some great comic relief in as Left-Ear, the explosives expert.
But again, it's really the action that wins out the day. More people will think of the Mini Coopers used in a spectacular car chase than the acting. Director of photography Wally Pfister's work is excellent in the action scenes. F. Gary Gray, the director of the film, shines in the action sequences, but nowhere else.
Thus, most of the blame must fall on the screenwriters, Donna and Wayne Powers. For the most part, their dialogue is contrived and idiotic. You can tell this couple tried to make the script filled with banter, but it comes off badly.
Since the script is so flat, the whole movie comes across as boring. At the end, the audience has no interest in the characters. Does anyone really care how each of the team members spend their money? We already know how this movie, like most other heist movies, will end. That's the problem with The Italian Job: I walked away thinking, "Who cares?"
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Josh Spiegel is an entertainment reporter for the Web Devil. Reach him at joshua.spiegel@asu.edu.
