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The Italian Job script review
"The heist movie is a genre all its own that needs an oversized set of brains to have even a chance of succeeding. Plotting in these films is critical for the story to play out somewhat realistically. That is of course a relative statement as there is nothing normal about planning an elaborate heist. The Italian Job is about a heist with a double cross followed by revenge. Thus the hook is that we have thieves stealing from thieves. It also happens to be a remake of a 1969 film of the same name that starred Michael Cain and Noel Coward. I haven't seen it so I can't compare the two. My script came without a cover page so I don't know how old it is or even who wrote it. A glance at IMDB credits Donna and Wayne Powers with a rewrite of Troy Kennedy-Martin's original script. They previously wrote the wretched horror flick Valentine and the dumb but oddly entertaining Deep Blue Sea. F. Gary Gray (Friday, The Negotiator) is directing.
We meet a veteran crew of thieves early on. They are Charlie, Steve, Handsome Rob, Half-Ear, Lyle and their planner/safe cracker, John Bridger. Bridger (to be played by Donald Sutherland) is an old man, pulling one last job in Italy so he can retire and spend some time with his daughter Stella. The plan succeeds and they escape with a huge load of gold. Unfortunately, Steve (played by a reportedly disgruntled Ed Norton) double crosses them, kills John, takes the gold and leaves the rest for dead. Three years later, Charlie has tracked Steve down and now plans to steal the gold back. For the job he needs a master safe cracker and so he enlists the services of Stella, who learned the trade from her dad.
Charlie (played by Mark Wahlberg) is the new leader. There is one great scene where he recruits Stella but otherwise is a fairly bland generic hero. Wahlberg is perfect for that. Handsome Rob (Jason Statham) is the driver and ladies man, a guy who lives to drive hard (yeah that was weak, so sue me). Half Ear (played by Mos Def in the film and apparently renamed Left Ear) is the explosive expert and sensitive about his weight. Lyle (Seth Green) is a very standard computer geek. Stella (Charlize Theron) is there to look pretty and open a safe. Okay, so characters aren't the script's strong point.
What I described of the plot really only covers the first few pages of the script so I shouldn't be ruining anything for you in terms of story. What follows is typical of heist films as our heroes do their research, track down shady characters needed for help and plan a meticulous and elaborate job. Think of Ocean's Eleven with half the cast. Think of Swordfish, except with some style and no gratuitous Halle Berry nudity. Think Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels with fewer plot twists and coherent English. What makes this film stand out? Speed.
When I say speed, I mean that this script never stops to catch its breath. It is constantly on the move, frequently at break neck speeds. That's good it has plenty of moments where logic and believability is badly strained. The rapidity with which this film moves keeps you from taking a moment to consider some things that don't make a lot of sense. After the movie is over and you start driving home you might start saying, "Hey how did..." You get the idea. This was a fun read and the rapid pace helped keep it that way. Sure, after I was done I could start picking it apart but as I was reading I didn't give the problems too much thought.
My favorite part was a bump in the road that turned the whole story on its ear. It's as if the authors decided to throw away their outline for the ending and start fresh, while continuing to incorporate everything previously written. That kept me off balance and made the story feel a bit fresher than expected until that moment. We're not talking genius material here but it tossed the film off a fairly obvious track on to something new. It's just less generic and predictable this way.
I can't review this without mentioning the cars. The original author was clearly obsessed with them. The story is populated with endless great vehicles and all chosen for a reason. He clearly knows and appreciates their history and populates the story with cars as if they are secondary characters. How can you not have fun with a trio of supercharged Mini Coopers and a Ferarri?
The script basically screams summer blockbuster, which I do believe is the intention. It is big, fast and fun. Substance is nowhere in sight. People will be entertained at the theater, leave and promptly forget the entire thing."
[an error occurred while processing this directive]Jean-François Allaire (aka DeadPool)
Questions, comments, praise etc. Email me at deadpool@tnmc.org
Jean-François Allaire is TNMC's first columnist. At only 24 years old he has become a respected entertainment journalist, with his columns appearing in Corona's Coming Attractions and Scr(i)pt magazine. He also writes a monthly column in Screenwriters Monthly entitled 'The Last Word.' Hailing from Montreal this young writer is determined to dig up all the details on the movies before they hit your local theater. If you're part of a movie production then you really need to be talking to him.
