When is a performance good and bad? Obviously, there are many performances out there that are so bad they are good. Edward Norton in 2003’s The Italian Job is not one of those. His supporting performance as the villainous Steve is a perfectly acceptable and, at times, even frightening baddie performance. It is bad strictly in the sense that you know he’s capable of so much more, specifically with this type of character.

Anyone who has followed Norton’s career throughout the decades knows that he’s long specialized in playing men like Steve—calculated, often intelligent and utterly duplicitous men who have a great capacity for ruthlessness. Norton actually played such a character in his very first film—1996’s Primal Fear—which netted him the first of his four Oscar nominations to date. He would follow that auspicious beginning with a series of acclaimed performances with a similar dynamic at their core, including Derek Vinyard in American History X, the Narrator in Fight Club, Harlan in Down in the Valley, Walter in The Painted Veil and Mike Shiner in Birdman.

What made these Norton performances so compelling is how specific and complicated they are. Few actions or lines feel thoughtless or unmotivated in these films. Nowhere is this more obvious than with his (spoilers) dual Primal Fear role as Aaron Stampler/Roy, where every movement, facial expression, affectation and speech cadence changes depending on who he is portraying at any given time. Furthermore, while many of these characters have an affinity for violence, abuse and/or manipulation, none are one note. For as monstrous as characters like Derek Vinyard in American History X are, Norton always roots their immoral behavior in something recognizably human, such as irrational racist hatred born out of his father’s murder by a black shooter.

Neither of these qualities are really present with Steve in The Italian Job. Oh, Norton is still completely credible in the role. His initial attack on Mark Wahlberg’s Charlie Croker and his crew is merciless as all hell. He also just gives off as deeply unlikable malevolence in the part. It is a quality that makes him an effective foil for the story’s protagonists to battle against. He also becomes a potent target for the audience’s hatred, which is what you want in this type of fun, big budget heist film. But for as effective as Norton appears on one level, his work just doesn’t have the same thought or nuance that power other performances in his cannon.

You can really see the lack of thoughtfulness in some of the characters quieter moments. At one point in the story, Croker’s crew, who is trying to steal back some gold that Steve stole from them in the film’s opening, send Charlize Theron’s Stella (who Steve doesn’t know) into the villain’s apartment disguised as a cable repairwoman to case the joint. Steve attempts to chat her up and some of Norton’s line readings are bizarre to say the least. When Stella compliments his TV setup, for example, he blurts out in response “Only the best!” in a strangely stilted and robotic way, as if he had just been clunked over the head with something heavy. In other movies both before and after The Italian Job, I would bet a lot of money that the actor would handle that beat in a different or more interesting way. Moments like these don’t seem like much, and they don’t critically damage his performance overall. But they do give off a carelessness that feels weird for an actor whose work is normally so precise.

A much more substantive reason why Norton’s Steve is one of his lesser performances is that the villain is missing any of the shades of grey the actor is known bringing to other unsavory characters. In fact, Steve is a complete mustache-twirler throughout The Italian Job. He literally has a villainous pencil stache and soul patch combo for one thing. But he also displays zero remorse for any of his heinous actions, exclaiming at one point: “Don’t talk about right and wrong with me man because I just don’t give a shit.” Obviously, a film’s script is one of the most determinate factors on how well-rounded a character will be. And with the role of Steve, Norton isn’t really given many lines to work with that indicate ambiguity or inner conflict. Yet Steve being charactered as completely irredeemable is still strange given how Norton is a master of humanizing characters non-verbally.

American History X encapsulates this talent fully. As discussed, his character’s motivation in the film revolves around the loss of his father. This tragic event drives Derek into the arms of Cameron Alexander (Stacy Keach), a local neo-Nazi leader who Derek clearly sees as a mentor and even a replacement father figure. During a scene where Derek’s skinhead gang plays basketball against group of black players, Derek attempts to take control of the game in his usual authoritative manner. But before he does, he looks to Cameron in a way that makes this terrifying Nazi appear, just for a second, like a little boy who is yearning for a father’s advice or approval—which of course, on some level, he is. It’s a striking moment of vulnerability that gives you into a window into the damaged psyche of this largely despicable character. Such moments are non-existent in The Italian Job. That’s especially with the character of Steve, who would probably sneer at Derek for that momentary lapse in his hard outer shell and perhaps even call him a pussy.

It is quite likely that Norton’s performance has something to do with his overall lack of enthusiasm for the material. By now, it has been well publicized that the actor didn’t actually want to be in The Italian Job. After his breakthrough with Primal Fear, Norton had been signed to a three-film deal with Paramount Pictures. Over the next few years, the studio and the actor reportedly couldn’t come to an agreement on which film he would appear in. By the time the early aughts rolled around, the studio decided to execute a clause in the contract that would assign Norton a part in one of their films, which wound up being their remake of Michael Caine’s 1969 classic. Norton was supposedly irate at being treated this way. While there is no indication that he wasn’t professional during the shoot, I think it is entirely plausible that he might have been disinclined not to give “Only the best” on a job where he felt coerced.

But regardless of why, Norton work in The Italian Job would definitely rank pretty low on any ranked list of his performances. The actor makes Steve a credibly menacing thug, but the riveting fastidiousness and density he brought to similar parts is glaringly lacking. Steve qualifies as a particular type of good/bad performance because of this reason. It’s a perfectly fine part of a career that is undone by the strength of the whole.