LogFAQs > #971705169

Sorry for the lack of updates. I have been insanely busy and that shows no sign of stopping.

Also, after what happened, I've decided for the next month or two, at least until my life is on track, I'm going to only watch ones I like and have seen before or things that I know for a fact aren't going to derail me. So I thought I'd revisit an old favorite here because it was what I was in the mood for.

This write-up will not be long.

The Italian Job (2003)
Directed by: F. Gary Gray
Written by: Troy Kennedy Martin; Donna & Wayne Powers
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Edward Norton, Seth Green, Jason Statham, Donald Sutherland, Mos Def, three Mini Coopers
Previous status: Last seen 2014ish

"If there's one thing I know, it's never to mess with Mother Nature, mother-in-laws, and motherfreakin' Ukrainians."

If only Vlad remembered that last one. But we're not talking about real-world villains here.

No, in this one has Edward Norton playing a smarmy sack of shit again, nearly two decades prior to doing the same in Glass Onion. Norton, from what I've seen, takes the same kind of character and puts a completely different spin on him every time. And that's what makes him so great: You never know exactly who this guy is going in. Steve is a thug who hit the big time, then betrayed the rest of his crew to take a majority share for himself. He saw an opportunity and took it, taking advantage of people who trusted him. As the guy with connections, of course he's the most logical traitor. The heist movie needs a tech guy, a demolitions expert, a driver, a safecracker, and the guy to plan it all. And that's the rest of the cast: Green, Mos Def, Statham, Theron (replacing Sutherland, her character's father), and Wahlberg, respectively.

Where this movie shines is in its character interaction. This bunch is delightful to watch together because it looks like they're bringing their characters to life - they're fully human, but having a good time. They're also professionals who are good at what they do and are able to improvise... both in the way of getting away with a crime with only killing one guy (a thug on a motorcycle who got flattened by his bike). No, they knocked the drivers asleep, blocked off another motorcycle thug, and planted the other guy in the water. Oh, and Steve definitely dies a slow, agonizing death with whatever means the junkyard had, because he didn't know not to mess with Ukrainians, either.

Now, the technology in this movie has aged pretty well, to be honest. The "monster TV" is by no means one of those anymore, but for 2003, that 60" flat screen was pretty special. The mini-camera, the traffic signal redirection, and the safecracking kit all still feel pretty remarkable. The idea of having Stella (Theron) infiltrating the slimeball's mansion as a cable tech was brilliant, though I'm surprised she didn't have a hat - you'd think "Becky" would want an easy way to tell thirsty guy customers to back away by hiding her eyes (of course, Handsome Rob [Statham] had banged the actual Becky to get her stuff, so there is that).

Both heists in the movie are done remarkably well, with the Venice one being simple at the same time it's complex. The boat chase was fun. The car chase in LA was fun. Wished there was a little more complexity to that, though. But, in the end, this was as fun of a movie as teen me enjoyed way back when. Really, the only flaws are the car chase not being as satisfying as memory served and a couple small narrative details (i.e. Charlie [Wahlberg] being everywhgere all at once during the heist prep). There's humor - Napster (Green) narrating Handsome Rob's seduction of Becky and kid Left-Ear (Mos Def... well not as a kid, but yeah) blowing up the toilet and losing his hearing being the highlights - there's romance that's not beat over our heads, and there's action. It's just a feel-good, fun movie to watch, and I stand by my initial 5/5.

Will watch another tomorrow or the next day. Gotta make it up to you guys.