Thursday, May 29, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

Film: La dolce gridlock

The Italian Job remake fudges the car chases

By Anthony Allison

Stronzo! Here's why F. Gary Gray's remake of The Italian Job is a dismal disappointment. Like the opening of a James Bond flick, all the best action is crammed into the first reel--with Mark Wahlberg leading a gang of thieves (Edward Norton, Donald Sutherland, Mos Def, Seth Green and Jason Statham) pulling off a cunning bullion heist that culminates in a 007-style speedboat chase around the canals of Venice.

Then it all falls apart. First, Donna and Wayne Powers' update of Troy Kennedy Martin's 1969 script kills off the most sympathetic character after 20 minutes--allowing for endless wistful references that seem too facile and formulaic. Second, their supposed plot twists are neither ingenious nor surprising. Third, a running Napster gag feels as dated as the dotcom boom. And fourth, the casting of Marky Mark, whose mumbling presence in last year's Charade remake The Truth About Charlie inevitably elicited unflattering comparisons with Cary Grant, invites equally damning comparisons with Michael Caine (who's glimpsed in a clip not from the original Italian Job, but from Alfie). Charlize Theron's arrival raises the flick's EQ (Eye-candy Quotient), but her scenes with Wahlberg are as sexy as sump oil.

The biggest disappointment, though, is the climactic chase sequence. The remake shifts the original Turin traffic jam with Mini Cooper getaway cars to L.A. and new Minis. When the lumbering juggernaut of this studio production hit Hollywood Boulevard, having the Minis zooming along the Walk of Fame sidewalk and down into the subway station probably seemed like a good idea. But the resulting extensive L.A. gridlock limited the shoot to just a week, making the action shots that made the final cut seem brief and underwhelming, especially with another damning comparison fresh in filmgoers' minds: The Matrix Reloaded's freeway sequence. Sure the cars look cool. But you're left wanting much more fast, furious stunt work.