‘Italian Job’ is intense and fun

Evan Marmol

“The Italian Job” is a fast-paced joy ride charged with panache and

charisma. The film has a star-studded ensemble cast. The characters

range from the drolly humorous Seth Green to the feisty Jason

Statham, a devious Ed Norton, the impenetrable Mark Wahlberg and the

absolutely lovely Charlize Theron. Combined with a gripping plot,

this film is a real winner.

When this team embarks on the robbery to end all robberies,

everything goes off without a hitch. That is until one member of this

coterie decides to waylay the group and make off with the spoils.

This forces the movie to change gears from into a well-developed and

superbly-crafted revenge thriller. “The Italian Job” weaves suspense,

drama and humor seamlessly.

It follows the typical Hollywood narrative for its genre without

appearing too formulaic. It manages to do this by allowing each

character’s style to shine and by introducing inventive techniques to

common situations. The car chases are faster and in unlikely

locations, robberies require guile not force and technology is the

most powerful weapon.

The beginning drags its feet a bit but it proves to be a necessary

evil to grab the audience. Once this flick picks up pace it never

subsides. I highly recommend this movie for you adrenaline junkies

out there.

* EVAN MARMOL is Laguna Beach resident. He graduated from UC

Irvine with a degree in psychology and social behavior.