Criminals always have a perfect plan, but ask nine out of ten inmates doing time and they'll confirm, "There's no such thing as a perfect crime." As the gang in The Italian Job finds out when they decide to pull off a gold bullion heist in Venice, Italy.

The opening scenes of the film are exciting as Charlie Crocker (Mark Wahlberg) and his team -- Steve (Edward Norton), Lyle (Seth Green), Rod (Jason  Statham) Left-Ear (Mos Def) and John (Donald Sutherland) speed through the canals of Venice with their loot. Or do they?

For when Steve double crosses the group and kills one of the team, the lost gold isn't as important as the payback. Even Stella (Charlize Theron), a freelance expert safecracker who often works for the Feds, gets pulled into the job.

Finding their target living the good life in LA, the team relocates and begins to set their master plan into action. It may seem less than admirable to root for thieves, but these characters had me in their pockets right from the get go. Charlie is a diverse no-nonsense guy who can plan with the best of them, yet has heart and a bit of a romantic side as well, and Wahlberg effectively taps into all three of Charlie's characteristics as if they were his own.

Charlie's buddies offer a good mix of teamwork. There's the typical ladies man, Rob; the don't-under-estimate-him, Left-Ear, and the comedian, Lyle. Seth Green has way too much fun it this part.

Donald Sutherland is the Velveeta Cheese of movieland, smooth, rich and always a pleasure to savor. Although his role in The Italian Job is short, he adds a great quality to the mix. "His presence projects a wisdom that is one of the main qualities of John Bridger, that and an unbelievable charm that will simply seduce audiences," said director F. Gary Gray.

Edward Norton seems to be attracted to darker characters (25th Hour, Fight Club) and brings nothing new to his role as Steve. But he gives -- and probably receives -- thrills riding in a helicopter with stunt pilot Alan D. Purwin, who gets down and dirty flying over the streets of L.A. and even under streetlights.

Theron brings an exceptional beauty to all of her roles (Waking Up in Reno, Cider House Rules, The Legend of Bagger Vance) and as Stella, adds brawn and moxie to her list of character traits. Stella doesn't back down when looking down the barrel of a gun or having to drive 100 miles an hour through the city streets of L.A. and even over the sidewalks of Mann's Chinese Theater.

Another key player in the film is the MINI, no, not Mini Me, but the smallest car on the American road today. Introduced in England in the 50s, the BMW MINI was just what this crime caper needed. Although only three are seen in the film, the drivers actually crashed, bumped, flew, banged and beat up 132 of the small beauties.

Executive production James R. Dyer was aided in the filming by persuading the city of L.A. to shut down the streets near the Mann Theatre for a week so that over 300 cars and motorcycles could drive over Hollywood's Walk of Fame. And in Italy, where no boat can motor over five miles an hour through the Venice Canals, officials actually rewrote the law to accommodate the filmmakers.

The Italian Job, a remake of the 1969 version, holds its own with a new and more complicated plot line than the original and offers plenty of high-speed chases along with good performances. The scenery in Italy isn't bad either.

(Released by Paramount Pictures and rated "PG-13" for violence and some language.)