The Italian Job

The mastermind of a $35 million robbery (Mark Wahlberg) plots revenge on an ex-colleague (Edward Norton) who stole the loot and left him and the others for dead. A gleaming, snappy remake (sort of) of the 1969 heist film with Michael Caine and Noel Coward, the movie sports a script (by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Donna Powers and Wayne Powers, from Troy Kennedy-Martin’s original) that is satisfyingly complicated without resorting to outlandish “surprise” twists. The dialogue is crisp without being arch or self-conscious. Director F. Gary Gray rises to the challenge, giving wit and buoyancy to the action scenes that complement both the friendly banter and the menacing repartee in the dialogue. The actors respond, too—including Wahlberg, who carries himself with self-possessed confidence.