Edward Norton was forced into doing "The Italian Job" due to not fulfilling his contract with Paramount Pictures back in 2002.

Via LATIMES: The character: Inside man on a high concept robbery (set in Venice, Italy, naturally) who double-crosses his gang and escapes to Los Angeles with a king's ransom in gold bullion.

Stickler for details: With a tiny, dark mustache stretching across his upper lip, Norton delivers an adequately menacing, yet somehow perfunctory performance that perhaps came as a result of being forced to take the supporting part against his better judgment.

Back story: Taking on his breakthrough role in the 1996 courtroom drama "Primal Fear," Norton signed a three-picture deal with Paramount -- a fairly common practice for an unknown actor. But after he and the studio haggled for eight years over what Norton would do to fulfill his contractual obligation, Paramount finally placed him in "The Italian Job" with the threat of a multimillion-dollar lawsuit.

If you've seen it, you can see that he didn't give a shit. From his sleazy mustache to his sleepwalk acting, Norton proves to Hollywood that if you force him into a movie, you're not going to get the award-winning actor; you're going to get the standard Nicolas Cage performance.