 Entertaining movie, terrible Blu-ray quality.
I enjoyed this movie, but the quality of this Blu-ray release is just awful. It was so bad in some spots that it became a distraction from the movie itself. I would recommend holding off until it is remastered.
 The Italian Job
Anyone who has a mini cooper, must see this film. My dog does not like riding in the mini, but after watching the movie, she told me that if I would drive like they did in the film, she would love my mini!
 Very good movie.
I thoroughly enjoyed this good old-fashion action movie. There's really nothing thought provoking about it, so if that's what you are looking for, this is not the flick for you. There's several double crosses (which for the most part are pretty predictable), enjoyable car scenes and a hot chick. What more do you want. I thought the film was worth the money and have watched this film several times and still enjoy it.
 Paramount drops the ball on a great movie............again
Ever since I bought the DVD several years ago it has been in my personal rotation (playing on average twice a month). After getting my Blu-ray player I knew I had to have this film. The video transfer is barely better than the DVD and lacks a lossless soundtrack. It doesn't even have the DTS soundtrack advertised on the cover. This is an utter disappointment for an otherwise great movie. There were rumors that Paramount was going to re-release the Blu-ray with remastered video and a lossless audio track(the original soundtrack was excellent). But it has yet to surface(and probably never will). This was not worth the purchase and I would have been better served just enjoying my DVD version.
"Baby, go relax."
As do-overs of Michael Caine pictures go, 2003's THE ITALIAN JOB, in my eyes, easily torpedoes the GET CARTER and ALFIE remakes. There's not much that this version has in common with the 1969 original, other than that both films showcase them cute, tiny Mini-Coopers (if you can't find parking, you could just pick them up, put them in your pocket). Mark Wahlberg isn't one of those demonstrative actors, he's from that strong silent mold of heroes. So, whether understated or merely bland - I'm not sure which - Wahlberg is likable and he provides the grounding element. THE ITALIAN JOB is fast-paced and stylish and clever, and the revenge sub-plot is always a good draw to pull in an audience. But what really makes this movie is the swaggering, irresistible cast supporting Wahlberg.
The film kicks off at a stately mansion sitting over a canal in Venice, Italy as master planner Charlie Croker (Wahlberg) and his crew of specialists successfully pull off a heist of 35 million dollars in gold bullion. But as someone not that famous once said: "No battle plan has ever survived first contact with the enemy." Steve (a slimy Edward Norton) is Charlie's inside man and, it turns out, Steve is the dirtiest scoundrel of the bunch, and the greediest. He double crosses the team and murders Charlie's savvy old mentor (Donald Sutherland) and tries to kill everyone else. Steve walks away, alters his identity and moves to L.A., believing that everyone's dead. He keeps on believing this for one year. After which time Charlie finally locates him. And then you just sit back and soak in the gratifying bit of vengeance as it plays out.
This is the movies, so I guess there's a suspension of disbelief involved when Charlize Theron is introduced as Estella Bridger, a gifted safecracker who freelances for police agencies. She gets recruited by Charlie Croker in his revenge plot against Steve, and it's personal for Estella because Charlie's murdered mentor also happens to be her father. This is one of those roles that's real easy to coast on, and yet Theron manages to demonstrate equal doses of emotional vulnerability and steeliness. She's also an absolutely sick driver which endears her to me even more. She and the rest of Mark Wahlberg's crew easily sell the movie for me. Handsome Rob (Jason Statham) is the hunky Cockney-talking wheel man. Left Ear (Mos Def, fabulously laid back) is the demolitions expert. Lyle (Seth Green) is the geeky computer tech and is the film's funniest character. Lyle claims that he invented Napster, which his college roommate Shawn Fanning stole while Lyle was, in fact, napping. Seth Green gets the lion's share of the funny lines ("You'll never shut down the real Napster.").
There are some alarmingly fun, snazzy bits in this flick. Watching the actors zip around in their souped-up, tricked-out Mini-Coopers, I admit to a moment in which I contemplated getting me my own Mini. I absolutely cracked up during Seth Green's Napster bits and his improvisational impersonation of Handsome Rob. And then the hi-tech stuff, from gaining control of the stop lights to figuring out which of the decoy trucks is the real deal. As always, a huge part of enjoying the caper genre is in watching the plan coming together and then the execution of it. And then, because we anticipate the plan somehow going squirrely - it always does - we wonder how our guys will get themselves out of whatever scrape. And scrapes are guaranteed once the film throws in a scary Ukrainian mob boss and a massive Samoan who tends to tell his lady friend to "Baby, go relax." whenever he wants to get rid of her. As expected, Charlie Croker manages to work around these highly dangerous characters. THE ITALIAN JOB, I wouldn't call it a strikingly original heist thriller. But going by the huge appeal and chemistry of the cast, time will fly by even faster than those Mini-Coopers. Plus, it's hard to pass up a chance to ogle Charlize Theron. Can't wait for THE BRAZILIAN JOB, whenever that comes out.
This is the Special Collector's Edition and the DVD's bonus features are: "Pedal to the Metal: The Making of THE ITALIAN JOB" (00:18:16 minutes); Screenwriters Donna & Wayne Powers talk about having their screenplay translated to screen (00:05:48); The cast goes to "Driving School," where Theron and Statham turn out to be the most competitive students (00:05:37); "The Mighty Minis" - a segment about the Mini-Coopers featured in the film (00:05:39); "High Octane" - about the film's 3 primary stunts: the boat chase thru the Venice canals, the truck drop, and the helicopter's game of chicken with Charlie's Mini-Cooper (00:07:52); 6 Deleted Scenes - one extended scene in a bar as some loser lawyer hits on Stella and five scenes with Charlie and the gang tearing around in the Mini-Coopers with Steve's helicopter and the law in hot pursuit (total running time: almost 9 minutes); and the theatrical trailer.
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