The Italian Job (2003)

After being betrayed and left for dead in Italy, Charlie Croker and his team plan an elaborate gold heist against their former ally.

Director:

F. Gary Gray

Writers:

Troy Kennedy-Martin, Donna Powers (screenplay)

Stars:

Donald Sutherland, Mark Wahlberg, Edward Norton

7 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mark Wahlberg	...	Charlie Croker
Charlize Theron	...	Stella Bridger
Donald Sutherland	...	John Bridger
Jason Statham	...	Handsome Rob
Seth Green	...	Lyle
Yasiin Bey	...	Left Ear (as Mos Def)
Edward Norton	...	Steve
Fausto Callegarini	...	Italian Guard
Stefano Petronelli	...	Garbageman / Thug
Fabio Scarpa	...	Garbageman / Thug
Cristiano Bonora	...	Garbageman / Thug
Tiberio Greco	...	Garbageman / Thug
Jimmy Shubert	...	First Detective
Tammi Cubilette	...	Second Detective
Mary Portser	...	Stella's Receptionist

Storyline

Led by John Bridger (Donald Sutherland) and Charlie Croker (Mark Wahlberg) a team is assembled for one last heist to steal $35 million in gold bars from a heavily guarded safe in Venice, Italy. After successfully pulling off the heist, a team member, Steve (Edward Norton), driven by greed and jealousy, arranges to take the gold for himself and eliminate the remaining members of the group. Thinking the team dead, he returns to Los Angeles with the gold. Charlie and the survivors of this betrayal follow Steve to L.A. to exact revenge against the traitor. Charlie enlists the help of John Bridger's daughter, Stella (Charlize Theron) - a professional safe cracker - to get revenge. With Stella and the hacking skills of Lyle (Seth Green), the explosives skills of "Left Ear" (Yasiin Bey), and the driving skills of "Handsome" Rob (Jason Statham) this new team plans and executes a daring heist that weaves through the freeways and subways of L.A.

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Plot Keywords:

gold | gold bar | scantily clad female | cleavage | premarital sex | 

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Taglines:

It's not about the money. It's about the money.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence and some language

Did You Know?

Trivia

The red MINI Cooper driven by Stella at the beginning of the film is a nod to the red Mini Coopers used in the original The Italian Job (1969). It is a vastly different model to the one featured in the original, though, being a late Rover-produced model made in the late-1990s, not an Austin Mini Cooper Mk1, as was used in the original film.

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Goofs

During many of the MINI interior shots the big speedometer in the center of the dashboard shows two red lights on. One of these shows the handbrake is on whilst they are driving.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Stella: [on the phone] Hello.
John Bridger: [on the phone] Hello, sweetie.
Stella: [on the phone] Daddy, it's early.

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Crazy Credits

Famous British model Kelly Brook appears in the end credits with Lyle.

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Alternate Versions

UK theatrical version was edited by distributor UIP for language to secure a more commercial 12A rating.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Worst Changes in Movie Remakes (2019)

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Soundtracks

Fire
by Ralph Middlebrooks, James 'Diamond' Williams (as James Williams), Marshall E. Jones (as Marshall Jones), Leroy 'Sugarfoot' Bonner (as Leroy Bonner), Clarence Satchell, Willie Beck, and Marvin Pierce
Performed by Ohio Players
Courtesy of The Island Def Jam Music Group
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Maybe not the most original movie, but a very good one in the genre of the heist / action flicks

A few years ago I saw this remake of the sixties classic with the Mini Coopers for the first time and I remember liking it a lot. Now, about two years later it was shown on television and I just wanted to know whether I would still like it as much as when I saw it in the cinema. Well, the answer is yes.

The movie is about a team of robbers that will do one final job in Venice, Italy. The plan is flawless and the execution perfect. They escape and won't have to work for the rest of their lives. But there is one problem they didn't take into account: Someone within their own ranks doesn't like to split the loot, but wants to keep it all for himself, even when that means he will have to kill the rest of the crew. But all but one survive and they are out for revenge. One year later, in Los Angeles this time, the surviving team members create a smart and devious plan to steal back the gold and get their revenge on the traitor...

The story on itself is of course not very original, since this is a remake of the original 1969 movie, but it has plenty of goodies to offer to make you forget about that. This is a typical heist / action movie but it certainly is one of the better ones in its kind. The action is very nice, the landscapes and Venice are real eye-candy, the story is OK and the special effects are stunning. Even the acting is very good, something which you'll not often see in an action movie. I must admit that I really liked what I saw and I give this movie a well deserved 7.5/10.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA France Italy UK Germany

Language:

English Russian Italian

Release Date:

30 May 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Italian Job

Filming Locations:

Long Beach, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$19,457,944, 1 June 2003

Gross USA:

$106,128,601

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$176,070,171

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, De Line Pictures, Mestiere Cinema

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1