Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron and Jason Statham in
"The Italian Job"
courtesy of Paramount Home Video
"The Week of the Caper Movie"

This week there are a couple of caper movies that you might want to see. A caper movie is a film about a criminal act that usually involves someone's last crime or one that is staged to get another effect.

The best of the caper films is "The Italian Job." This film is a remake of the 1969 film, which starred Michael Caine. The original movie is also available at video stores this week. You might want to view it just to make a comparison with the new film.

The new one stars Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Edward Norton and Seth Green. All of these actors add to the enjoyment of this film, which is about a crime caper staged for revenge. This means you get to see the planning and the execution of the act.

Wahlberg and Theron are the two leads with Norton cast as the villain. Green provides comic relief. Then there are the mini-Cooper cars that add fun to the chase sequences. This movie was one of the surprise hits of the summer and really holds up on video and DVD. Make sure you watch this one.

Another caper movie is "The Hard Word" which is a film about three brothers who know how to commit armed robbery. They just don't know how to do it without getting caught. They have gone to prison and are now due to get out, but an administrative glitch keeps them in. Along comes an attorney who says he can get them out IF - they do one last job.

The stars of this movie are Guy Pearce, Rachel Griffiths and Joel Edgerton. Pearce has been one of my favorites since "L A Confidential" and "Memento." Griffiths is one of the stars of "Six Feet Under" and has a lot of fans.

Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett are two of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Ford has been around for years while Hartnett is a star on the rise. It looked like ideal casting to pair them as law enforcement partners in the movie "Hollywood Homicide."

What happened is Hartnett makes Ford look creaky while Ford makes Hartnett look wet behind the ears. And when the film is as stale as this one, no one comes out a winner. There have been cop movies where the pairing of say Murphy and Nolte worked, but not in this instance. These are a mismatched set of actors.

Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks are paired in "The In-Laws," a non-funny comedy that got on my nerves. Douglas plays the father of the groom while Brooks is the father of the bride. Douglas is also a CIA agent who gets Brooks involved in some of his capers (there's that word again).

This movie is also a remake. It redoes a 1960 something film that starred Alan Arkin/Peter Falk. They had chemistry together, these two new actors don't. Plus the movie seems trapped in some sixtyish time warp. Even the presence of Candice Bergen as the mother of the groom can't help the movie.

One of the biggest events of the week is the release of "The Lion King" in a two disc DVD set. This wonderful movie has had a new song, "Morning Report," by Elton John and Tim Rice added. There are also "behind the scenes" events as well as games. It all just makes for a super time for the entire family. 

Also animated is "Batman: Mystery of Batwoman." In this film Batman tries to learn who Batwoman actually is. He also has to keep her out of the hands of a henchman named Bane. It's animated adventure of the highest order with one of America's favorite heroes.

Vocals are provided by Kevin Conroy, Kelly Ripa, Kyra Sedgwick and Hector Elizondo. They make the characters virtually come to life.

"Unconditional Love" deals with death. It is the death of a singing idol in England that brings Kathy Bates across the sea. She has been his biggest fan (watch those kneecaps). At the funeral she meets Rupert Everett who was his lover. Now these two team up to try to track down his killer.

Bates and Everett are solid in their roles and they get strong support form Lynn Redgrave and Dan Aykroyd. Julie Andrews also makes a surprise appearance.

Finally for Halloween there is "Willard," a sweet movie about a boy, his mother, and his rats. And it is not just one rat, but hordes of rats who infest this thriller. Crispin Glover plays the man who befriends the furry creatures. R Lee Ermey is his evil boss, while Laura Elena Harring is his co-worker.

Watching the rats come scratching down the halls after Ermey is a scary enough scene for a hundred Halloweens. Go rats, go!

 

 

 

 

 

©2003 Jackie K. Cooper

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