Director: F. Gary Gray
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Edward Norton, Seth Green, Jason Statham, Mos Def, Franky G, Donald Sutherland
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1h 51m
Rotten Tomatoes: 73% (Critics), 80% (Audience)
Dropping smack dab between Ocean’s Eleven and Ocean’s Twelve, this star-studded remake of the 1969 classic of the same name may have gotten lost in the crowd, but in no way deserves to stay there. After pulling off a once-in-a-lifetime heist of ancient gold bars, Steve (Edward Norton) turns on his partners, killing his teacher John Bridger (Donald Sutherland) and leaving the others to die. Focused on revenge more than even the money itself, crew leader Charlie Croker (Mark Wahlberg), explosives expert Left Ear (Mos Def), techie Lyle (Seth Green), and driver Handsome Rob (Jason Statham) re-team with the addition of Bridger’s daughter Stella (Charlize Theron). A mix of all the action movies at the time, The Italian Job mimics the elaborate heist setups from the Ocean’s series while blending in the pulse-pounding elements of the Jason Bourne franchise. Funny, sad, exciting, and all-around well done, this continent-hopping caper may have flown under the radar during its release, but now that it’s streaming on Prime I’m willing to bet that changes.