The Italian Job

More of a riff than a straight remake, 'The Italian Job' maintains but a few of the plot essentials of the original - namely the gold bullion, the Minis (suitably souped up modern versions) and the massive traffic jam. Like the original, a heist is central to 'The Italian Job' but the titular robbery takes place in the opening minutes. Old fashioned career crook John Bridger (Sutherland) masterminds his final heist with his protege Charlie Croker (Wahlberg). The gang of broadbrush yet appealing characters who help them are disgusted when, after making off with $35million in gold bullion, they are betrayed by one of their own number - Steve Frezelli (Norton). Leaving the rest of the gang for dead, the amoral Frezelli decamps to Beverly Hills and sets up shop there. A year later, the surviving members of the gang with Bridger's sassy daughter, Stella (Charlize Theron) in tow, catch up with their former fellow gang member and plot their revenge.

Slick and very diverting, 'The Italian Job' may not do anything particularly original with the heist or thriller genre but it moves with stylish efficiency. Never taking itself too seriously, the picture is given a light, even witty, touch by its crafty director who never allows things, despite the strict parameters of the genre, to get tiresome. His supporting cast, especially Seth Green and Mos Deaf, inject just enough life into their roles, even if the downbeat Wahlberg seems utterly out of his depth playing a charismatic ideas man.