"You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!" A classic line from a classic movie. How dare they remake The Italian Job for modern audiences back in 2003? You just don't mess with the classics! That's, like, a rule! For some reason, then, the remake of The Italian Job has a reputation as being something of a dud. Going back and actually watching the movie, however, reveals that this widely-held opinion is wrong - really wrong. No, it's not quite as good as the original, but it is a highly competent and rather thrilling blockbuster. And nobody talks about it these days, which is kind of a shame given that it's a really entertaining way to spend two hours. The key to this success of this underrated remake, really, stems from the fact that it doesn't take itself all too seriously. Directed by F. Gary Gray (who just had a major hit with N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton), it's rendered as an old-fashioned heist flick in the vein of Ocean's Eleven. You know, slick characters extensively plotting to get their revenge. It's time, perhaps, that everyone stopped turning their noses up at this movie just for the sake of it: for an "unnecessary remake," it's a heck of a lot of fun.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
