Corporate Line: A band of thieves, led by Charlie Croker (Wahlberg), pulls off the ultimate heist by rigging the stoplights of the city of Los Angeles so that they can drive right out of the city with a carful of gold (in a safe that they’re stealing back after Croker’s double-crossing ex-partner, played by Edward Norton, stole it from Croker first), with nothing but green lights, while everyone else gets red lights, thus keeping the roads plugged with the largest traffic jam in L.A. history, and the police from pursuing them.
The Good: The cast should get their due for interacting like a crime crew should. They bounce off each other well and fit like fingers on a hand. Seth Green plays the computer geek who is the pinky. He is always fighting for respect and tries to prove he’s as cool and as big as the other guys. Jason Statham is the middle finger because he has that bad ass flip you off attitude. Mos Def is the thumb since without his stability as the bomb expert nothing would work. Charlize Theron as the safe cracker is the ring finger since she ultimately carries the cache in her hands. Mark Wahlberg is the lead man, the brains and he is the pointy finger that makes the decisions and points everyone in their direction. It’s a fantastic fit and it keeps the film chugging along without any real lags.
Edward Norton is in the film, but not enough to make a significant contribution. I will say he does quite well playing the prick. The other stand outs in this film are the chase scenes. The boat scene in the beginning through the canals of Venice out does many such scenes you’d see from 007. The scene racing through L.A. in those cute little Minis is fun as well; however it does dip into the extremely unrealistic and detracts from the realism.
The Bad: If you enjoy being entertained then you won’t find much to complain about. The fact that they don’t try to trick you or add unnecessary luggage to this film might bother others, but I found it to be a nice treat in minimalism.
Frankly: If you love a good caper you must see The Italian Job.
+ charlie craine
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