Watched The Italian Job (2003) and thought Mark Wahlberg (Charlie Croker) (born in Dorchester, MA) was exceedingly cute. The plot and plan to steal gold bullion by staging a big traffic jam in Los Angeles, and getting away in Mini coopers was incredible. Love those mini-coopers.  Some parts of the movie got really boring and routine and rather out of place when Stella Bridger (Charlize Theron) poses as a TV/Cable repair-woman to get to Steve (Edward Norton). But hey, the car chase with mini-coopers was great.

When I saw this one, I researched to find that this was a remake from The Italian Job (1969). I am such a sucker to see the original and the new. It happened to me when I saw Thomas Crown Affair (1999), with Pierce Brosnnan (my then favorite), and I had to see the original (The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)) with Steve McQueen. But then I have moved away from the point. The original one, starts with soulful song "On Days Like These" (Written by Quincy Jones and performed by Matt Monro). I played the starting song about 20 times before I got sick of it. The movie itself was fantastic. The mini-cooper chase was so much more realistic and hilarious. The stunts were believable and stuck to the british flag colors. Some of the highlights which I simply loved:

• Charlie has just got out of prison and has to break into prison to get financing for his Italian Job. How cool is that idea!
• The chase.... great, hilarious, wacky and loads of goofiness
• Charlie's quote "You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off". All through the movie his manerisms were so funny, it cracked me up. Some of them were:
  • "You wouldn't hit a man with no trousers on, would you?", when he thought he was going to be beaten up.
  • "Just remember this... in this country they drive on the wrong side of the road", when the team is just about to start of the caper and their getaway is primarily in cars.
  • "Hang on guys, I have an idea", {spoiler!} when the bus is hanging off the edge of the cliff with the gold on the wrong end, the team on the safe side and Charlie in between and the bus is swaying, threatening to topple over into the cliff. This is also the ending to the movie. I say chaps! what a perfect ending to left hanging.... literally

All in all, I say five stars, and a must see.