The Italian Job (2003) Review

Before you start shouting sacrilege and grumbling about pesky Americans daring to touch our national treasures, hear me out. For the remake of "The Italian Job" might just about match the Michael Caine original so beloved on rainy bank holidays. If for nothing else, you've at least got to admire the yanks for their sheer barefaced cheek as they flagrantly pinch the concept but change absolutely everything else about the movie. Less of a remake, more of a rip-off. Kicking off with a rather nifty safe stealing amongst the waterways of Venice - the only nod to the title by the way - the movie boasts a gang which might be headed by Charlie Croker but is a whole different outfit. In more ways than one, because as the gang make their escape through the Alps, one of their party turns dirty double-crosser and leaves them all for dead before skidaddling with the loot. So a year later, when Charlie finds the culprit complete with his crate of gold bullion in California, it's payback time and the mini's are on hand to help.

Now, I'm not pretending this is a heist flick of the top order. Mark "no charisma" Whalberg doesn't come even close to Caine's original Croker and the movie suffers an almost terminable dip about half way through the proceedings. But that said, the last twenty minutes is an all-out action hoot as the LA streets clog up and the mini's head down into the metro for a chase to make even the great self preservation society proud. And where "The Italian Job" really does earn its go-faster stripes is with its impressive supporting cast which almost makes up the blank where the male lead should be. Ed Norton complete with comedy 'tache is suitably seedy as the villain, Seth Green delivers another giggle-worthy performance as computer geek Napster while Jason Statham and Mos Def do wonders with their meagre lines. Not a future classic maybe, but for a passable popcorn Friday night flick, you could do much worse.