Film Review for “Empire Magazine” for “The Italian Job” (2003) In a Nutshell: A re -working of Peter Collinson’s classic action -packed film “The Italian Job”. But can the remake really top the original? This film still has the excitement of the last, and the thrilling adventure really kicks off when $35,000,000 worth of gold bars are stolen by a group of thieves in Venice. It all goes to plan, but of course there is a twist in the story when a member of the group betrays his friends and runs of with the lot.
The leader of the group is shot by the crook, and the rest of the gang set out to seek revenge and to steal back the fortune. The Full Review: This remake of the 1969 “Italian Job” was brought out just as the new mini coopers were reissued, so not only was the film a re-release of a popular film, but it also advertised the new minis. The plot of this film was obviously well thought out and includes lots of unexpected twists that are guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat.
The script has also been very well thought out; there are a lot of links towards the end of the film to things that have been said near the beginning -this helps things to fall into place. There are also a lot of little jokes throughout the film which makes it that much more enjoyable. The storyline is quite clever in the way that you never quite know what is going to happen next, and I think this is one of the Italian job’s best qualities. “The Italian Job” 2003 was released with some other major films, so maybe it would have done better if it was released a little later as more of the focus would have been on this film.
However the film was still a success; it has a little bit of something for everyone -an adventure, action, crime and thriller, all in one! The film was quite popular at the cinema and I think that most people would have been attracted to going to see it due to the success of the first. This film was very expensive to make; 32 minis were used, 3 of which were specially built electric cars, Hollywood Boulevard and Highland were closed for 7 days and the Metro tunnel set was so big it wouldn’t fit in any sound stage -it had to be built in the hangar used for the space shuttle.
This was all to help with the film’s special effects. I think that the special effects were definitely worth it, as it makes he film that much more realistic. I think that the casting was well chosen in this film. Edward Norton (who plays Steve) plays the bad guy well and looks the part, and Mark Wahlberg (who plays Charlie) makes a great gang leader and main character. All of the characters interact well, and you can see throughout the film how Stella and Charlie’s friendship and trust grows and they even end up getting married.
Each of the main characters in the film have their own, different personality and assets to their gang, e. g. Lyle is the computer expert, Stella is the safe lock -picker, and this makes them all together a great team. In my opinion, the most successful element of the film is the way that the film grasps your attention, and makes you feel sympathy, scared and happy for the characters during the film.
However, I think that there is still something in the first film that the second lacks……maybe the second is more predictable for the people who have already seen the first and know the rough plot. Any Good? All in all, this film is definitely worth seeing and has a good storyline that you can really follow, without getting bored. I found that this film made me laugh, scared and kept me on the edge of my seat. That’s what to me makes an enjoyable film. I would rate this film 7/10 as although I enjoyed it and I would watch it twice, I still think that it does not beat the first.
