The Italian Job (2003 film) by director F. Gary Gray as "inspired by the original." Gray, Powers and Powers, and executive producer James Dyer identified the most prominent similarities as the trio of Mini Coopers used by the thieves, as well as the titular heist involving the theft of gold bullion. Some sequences of the film were storyboarded and previsualized by Gray before production began. Gray had been interested in working with Wahlberg since seeing his performance in "Boogie Nights" (1997). After reading the script for "The Italian Job", Gray contacted Wahlberg, who "fell in love with it" after reading it himself. Green was also
The Italian Job (2003 film) surprise, and top with a sprinkling of panache." "Variety"s Robert Koehler compared "The Italian Job" to "The Score" (2001), another "finely tuned heist pic" which also featured Edward Norton in a similar role. David Denby, writing for "The New Yorker", praised Norton's performance, as well as those of Seth Green and Mos Def, and the lack of digital effects in the action sequences. Owen Gleiberman of "Entertainment Weekly" gave the film a B− grade, comparing it positively to the 2000 remake of "Gone in 60 Seconds", as well as the 2001 remake of "Ocean's Eleven". "New York Daily News" reviewer