my reaction to this remake of the italian job be probably hopelessly mixed up with the event occur in my life when i saw it while this be the first movie i saw after i have just land a job after 8 month of unemployment and go back to school for retrain . money be still tight and but i no longer have to choose between see a movie in the theater and pay bill ( or eat lunch ) and and the sense of relief and gratitude i be feel at the time be enormous . in consequence and my enjoyment of italian job be probably far out of proportion to it actual worth . still and i pick it up use on dvd a few week ago and watch it again and and i still enjoy it immensely . i have never see the original ( though i have hear it be an absolute classic ) and but it modern day counterpart be eminently watchable if you have a taste for modern day production value apply to older film plot and theme . what initially win me over to this movie be the soundtrack imo don davis write some of the most supple and textured and aurally please soundtrack around . ij open with a sly and witty and pulse arrangement that combine string and guitar harmonic and brush work and quiet moment it win me over completely from the opening second . and the whole movie be like this i haven not hear this kind of ringing and chiming and pulse soundtrack music since stewart copeland leave the police and start do soundtrack for movie like rumble fish . there be at least a dozen irresistibly score motif in here and along with some pop song remake that range from all right to inspire . for people to whom the soundtrack be important and this movie be a delight . on to the movie represent i can take or leave mark wahlberg and but he okay here a the lead man and and the movie doesn not ask him to do anything he can not do well . he the weak major actor in the film and but that because the rest of support cast be so strong and especially donald sutherland in a bit part . mo def and jason steadham and ed norton and seth green and charlize theron all turn in solid and fat free performance . norton seem to mostly be phone it in ( rumor have it that he do not really want to be in the film ) and but he still a natural even at half power . my one quibble with the casting and acting be with the character wrench and who seem to be a male model pretend to be an actor . his part seem to be shoehorn into the movie and and he have little chemistry with the rest of the cast ( although you can blame some of that on the size of the part and the late walk on nature of the character ) . if i be a cynical sort and i would wonder who the actor sleep with to get put into this movie in such a supernumerary role . nah and never happen . production value and camera work and stunt and plot . everything cook along quite nicely and gray and his production crew pull thing together pretty seamlessly ( with the exception of the wrench character and see above ) . the dialog have a nice and light touch that reward your indulgence and and there be several satisfy major and minor plot payoff along the way . ( my favorite moment when norton character tell wahlberg character that he just lose the element of surprise . wahlberg proceeds to cold cock norton with a right cross and and then ask him and be you surprise . hmmm and maybe you have to be there . ) of course the movie require a certain level of suspension of disbelief to work and but if you just relax and go along with it ( and do not think too hard about the mechanic of crack a safe underwater and or the likelihood of anyone be able to successfully hack and manipulate la traffic via a laptop and etc ) and you will have a fun ride . the italian job represent it lightweight summer fluff and but it very good for what it be and and it doesn not try to be anything else . it isn not good enough for an 8 but i would give it a 7 . 5 .