All-star cast gets the Job' done

By Nicole Rodriguez

Your typical action movie follows a very basic formula: good guy encounters a problem and through the use of fight sequences and explosions, manages to triumph over evil.

There aren't a lot of ways one could deviate from this standard, therefore the challenge of an action movie should not be originality, but to make the audience glad to be along for the ride. Paramount Pictures' "The Italian Job" is a fast paced crime caper that accomplishes just this.

A slick remake of the 1969 Michael Caine flick, "Job" opens to find notorious thief John Bridger (Donald Sutherland) arriving in Venice to pull one last heist with his most trusted colleagues, among them is his protégé, Charlie (Mark Wahlberg, "The Truth About Charlie's").

They have it all: the perfect target, the perfect plan, and the perfect escape. There is only one problem they don't prepare for: how to be ready in the event that they are betrayed by one of their own.

As it turns out, their partner Steve (Edward Norton, "25th Hour") has made a few plans of his own. Shooting John and sending the rest of the crew over a bridge in their van, Steve flees back to the United States, keeping the loot for himself.

Little does Steve know, however, the rest of the team survived and now, joined by John's daughter Stella (Charlize Theron, "The Cider House Rules"), they are out for pay back.

The most elaborate crime caper to hit theaters since "Ocean's 11," "The Italian Job" is a fast-paced, edge of your seat flick that boasts both a talented cast and surprisingly witty script by the same team responsible for box office flops such as "Valentine" and "Deep Blue Sea."

Wahlberg seems very comfortable in Charlie's shoes. Although the role doesn't require much of him as an actor, Wahlberg makes the most of his few non-action scenes, and as a result comes off as convincingly determined and even charming. The same can be said Theron, who plays tough as nails safe-cracker Stella, who joins the guys not for the gold, but to avenge her father's death.

While there is an obvious chemistry between Charlie and Stella, it is commendable that "Job's" writers don't sidetrack from their main plotline to force a romance between them.

The disappointing performance in this film, surprisingly enough, comes from two-time Oscar nominee Edward Norton.

No matter the character, Norton has always been able to bring something extra to his roles, a charisma that ensures no one else could have done better. However, he fails to do this in "Job." A pity, seeing as Norton has proved time and again that he has the ability to be so good at being the bad guy.

Also starring is a delightfully comedic Seth Green ("Knockaround Guys") as Lyle, the wisecracking computer technician who is one of the masterminds behind both the original heist in Venice as well as the revenge robbery in Los Angeles.

"The Italian Job" may not be the most memorable or original film you see this summer, but it's a good time while it lasts.