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(About Our Ads) "THE ITALIAN JOB" (2003) (Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Mild Mild Extreme Moderate Heavy Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate Minor Moderate Minor Heavy Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Moderate Mild Mild Moderate Heavy QUICK TAKE: Drama/Action: A small team of gold thieves sets out to find and retrieve their loot from their ex-partner who double-crossed them. PLOT: Mastermind Charlie Croker (MARK WAHLBERG) and his team - inside man Steve (EDWARD NORTON), computer hacker Lyle (SETH GREEN), driver Handsome Rob (JASON STATHAM), explosives expert Left-Ear (MOS DEF) and veteran safecracker John Bridger (DONALD SUTHERLAND) - have just pulled off a heist of $35 million in gold bars from a Venetian palazzo. Everything about the plan - including a decoy chase - works perfectly until Steve double-crosses them, shooting and killing one of the partners and fleeing with the money. One year later, Charlie and his team have tracked down Steve living in a palatial estate in Los Angeles. Yet, to get their money out of his secure fortress, they need a plan as well as a high tech safecracker. Enter Stella Bridger (CHARLIZE THERON), John's daughter, who has a legitimate job, but is talked into joining their quest. With the aid of mechanic Wrench (FRANKY G), Charlie, Stella and the rest of the crew set out to break into Steve's estate and steal back their money. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're fans of anyone in the cast or heist-type movies, they just might. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For violence and some language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: MARK WAHLBERG plays the mastermind behind the heist who then sets out to get his money as well as revenge on Steve for double-crossing them. He uses some profanity. EDWARD NORTON plays a former crewmember who double-crossed the rest, stole their money and killed one of the partners. He uses some profanity and wants to make sure no one steals his stolen money. SETH GREEN plays the team's computer hacker who controls the traffic signals in Los Angeles and wants everyone to know he's the one who came up with the notion for the online file sharing service known as Napster. JASON STATHAM plays the steely driver and ladies man of the group who apparently has a one-night stand with a woman in order to steal her I.D. MOS DEF plays the team's explosives expert who's deaf in one ear and uses some profanity. DONALD SUTHERLAND plays a veteran master safecracker. CHARLIZE THERON plays his daughter, a legit high-tech safecracker who joins the team to get some revenge. She briefly uses some profanity. FRANKY G plays a mechanic who modifies some cars for the team and then later joins them in their plan. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: Here's a quick look at the content found in this action/adventure drama that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 1 "f" word, while other expletives and colorful phrases are present. Some brief sexually related talk occurs, while a man is seen getting out of bed after presumably having sex with a woman he just met. Another woman is briefly seen in her bra. Violence consists of several (mostly bloodless) murders, people striking or roughing up others, some motorcycle wipe-outs, and some car and boat crashes. Those moments and some chase scenes might be suspenseful to some viewers. Most of the main characters have bad attitudes of one degree or another, while some drink and/or smoke. Meanwhile, some imitative behavior is also present. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE The team members toast their success with champagne (and drink from the bottles). Charlie asks Stella if she wants to join him for a drink, but she declines the offer. Steve and Stella have wine with dinner in a restaurant where others also drink. The team members have a champagne toast. BLOOD/GORE We see a dead man with a trickle of blood from his mouth. We see what looks like dried blood on an ax blade. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE All of the major characters are thieves who steal millions of dollars of gold. Steve double-crosses his partners, steals their gold, kills one of them, and tries to kill the others. He later kills another man. In a flashback, we see a bully picking on other kids, while young Charlie and his friends set up the bully to rob him. A man buys some of the stolen gold from Steve. Some viewers might not like Lyle using the excuse that he got the Holy Spirit as the reason he suddenly shouts aloud at an airport. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence" might also be unsettling, tense or suspenseful to some viewers. There's a brief boat chase scene through the canals of Venice. Steve holds a handgun on his partners and then ends up shooting one of them several times, killing him. Other men then open fire on the partners' vehicle as it speeds away but then goes off a bridge and sinks below some icy water. Steve repeatedly fires a machine gun down into the water where the partners wait him out and share an oxygen line. Some large and menacing dogs suddenly appear at a van's window. Steve slams a man backwards into something, grabs him by the throat and then throws him onto a table. We then see video surveillance footage of Steve shooting the man several times, killing him. It appears that some thugs are going to kill another man in a junkyard of sorts (possibly with a large claw used to pick up cars), but we never see that happen if it occurs. The same holds true when a thug shows up to see someone and sports a large ax that has what looks like dried blood on its blade. Three mini-cooper cars barely race past a subway train and get onto the track in front of it (and avoid slamming into it or the quickly approaching wall). There are various close calls with other vehicles during a car chase sequence. GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns/Machine guns: Carried and/or used to threaten or kill others. See "Violence" for details. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "What the f*ck happened to my truck?" "That's bullsh*t," "Up sh*t creek," "I don't give a sh*t," "I will kick your ass" (said as a joke), "Freezing my ass off," "Idiot," "Spaz," "Punk," "Poor bastards," "Big ass," "Freaked out," "Nasty ass," "Punk ass," "Damn that's cold," "Kick ass," "What the hell is this?" "Mother freaking," "Pretty damn good," "Cut the crap," "Who the hell are you?" and "Kick ass." It's possible the film could inspire impressionable kids to attempt to pull off some sort of robbery (since the film makes doing it look cool and adventurous). We see a flashback that shows the results of a young Left-Ear apparently setting off an explosive in a school toilet. Handsome Rob gives "the finger" in a flashback and later an actor does the same thing. Several characters have tattoos, while one of them has a pierced eyebrow. People drive their mini-cooper cars down a sidewalk and then down some stairs, into the subway station and then down the tunnels. Motorcyclists later do the same. JUMP SCENES Some large and menacing dogs suddenly appear at a van's window. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A moderate amount of suspenseful and action-oriented music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) One song had at least 1 "ass" in it. PROFANITY At least 1 "f" word, 7 "s" words, 8 asses, 5 damns, 3 hells, 1 crap, 1 S.O.B., and 1 use each of "G-damn," "Jesus" and "Jesus Christ" as exclamations. SEX/NUDITY Stella shows a bit of cleavage in her top. After Left-Ear comments about a book mentioning learning the language of poetry, art and sex, Handsome Rob boastfully says that he doesn't need a guidebook for the latter. Lyle states he's going to use his earnings to buy a stereo system that's so loud it will blow a woman's clothes off. Lyle isn't happy that his fake name is going to be James Hymen. We see a bumper sticker that reads, "Actors do it on cue." We briefly see Stella in her bra when Charlie walks in on her (she quickly puts on a top). Lyle watches as Handsome Rob goes over to talk to a pretty woman whose name Becky is stitched in her uniform over her breast. Lyle then sarcastically asks himself what she calls "the other one" (referring to her breast). He then speaks -- as if her -- talking to Lyle and says, "Would you like my virginity as well?" and "Why don't you take advantage of me?" We then see Handsome Rob in his boxers getting out of the bed of the above woman (who's in her underwear and a top), presumably after sex (and so that he can steal her I.D. as part of their plan). Stella shows a little cleavage. A woman shows some cleavage and Lyle has her stand in front of his new stereo system (in relation to an above entry). He then turns up the volume, but we don't see if it blows off her clothes. SMOKING Handsome Rob smokes twice, a miscellaneous person smokes and John hands Charlie an unlit cigar to be smoked after their job. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Although it's been a year, Stella still deals with her father's death/murder (but there's little in the way of grieving) and wants her revenge. She later states that she barely knew her father. We hear that Lyle has an ex, but we don't know if they were married. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Thieves. Double-crossing others. Revenge. VIOLENCE A planned explosion blows a hole in a ceiling, causing the large safe above it to fall through several floors below it. A man nearly shoots at some of the robbers in a boat, but his boat then ends up going airborne and landing on top of another boat (no one is hurt). Another boat blasts through and cuts in half a smaller boat while pursuing a third boat. Steve holds a handgun on his partners and then ends up shooting one of them several times, killing him. Other men then open fire on the partners' vehicle as it speeds away but then goes off a bridge and sinks below some icy water. Steve repeatedly fires a machine gun down into the water where the partners wait him out and share an oxygen line. The dead man's body eventually floats to the surface. In a flashback, a kid trips a bully. Some cars crash when Lyle changes the lights at an intersection. Steve slams a man backwards into something, grabs him by the throat and then throws him onto a table. We then see video surveillance footage of Steve shooting the man several times, killing him. When Steve recognizes who Stella is, he grabs her by the wrist, causing her some pain. Charlie punches Steve, sending him to the floor. Some cars crash when Lyle changes the lights at an intersection. A planned explosion blows a hole in a road, causing an armored truck to fall through it and into a subway tunnel below. Two motorcyclists chase after others in small cars through a tunnel. One opens fire on one car, but its driver causes the shooter to lose control and crash in the tunnel. The other cyclist opens fire as well, but then slams into and over a car door that's suddenly opened in front of him. A helicopter's back rotor blade rips across the side of a car and its windows, but the driver is okay. Steve holds his gun on Charlie, but others then hold their guns on Steve and physically escort him away. Stella punches Steve. Reviewed May 21, 2003 / Posted May 30, 2003