223. The Italian Job; movie review





THE ITALIAN JOB

Baca Juga

Cert PG
99 mins
BBFC advice: Contains mild violence, language, sex references

"You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!"
One of the most well-known quotes in the movies was actually a tad incidental to the main thrust of this stylish 60s classic The Italian Job.
When I embarked upon this catch-up with ambitious Charlie Crocker (Michael Caine) and genteel crime lord Mr Bridger (Noel Coward), I wondered if I would learn anything new.
And, yes I did - the sewer chase scene was filmed in Stoke Aldermoor in Coventry, just a couple of miles where I would have been at school at the age of six.
I digress hugely. Of course, the majority of the chase is set in Turin where Crocker and his pals have organised a gold heist during the mother of all traffic jams.
It was challenged by The French Connection but I still think the ingenuity of the three Mini Clubmans outrunning the Italian police is the best car chase in cinema history.
The Italian Job engendered a wonderful feeling of nostalgia which is sparked by a rash of cameos by some of Britain's most well-known TV faces of the day.
Top of the list is Benny Hill who plays a scientist whose leering perversions could have been straight out of one of his comedy shows.
It has a wonderful tone to it, with both Caine and Coward having tongue firmly in cheek as they confidently go about their criminal enterprises.
And the actual theft and following chase are beautifully detailed but never so complex that they bamboozle the audience.
Peter Collinson has ensured a great pace, exotic backdrop, a sharply dressed key players with a lively soundtrack
I remained frustrated about the movie's finale, however, but it still deserves its tag as a classic

Reasons to watch: A stylish 60s classic
Reasons to avoid: its dialogue is rather mechanical 

Laughs: None
Jumps: None 
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall: 8.5/10



Did you know? While the Italian Mafia are major antagonists throughout the film, in real life, they were actually quite helpful to the filmmakers.  The group shut down whole sections of Turin for filming, resulting in the very real traffic jams you see in the movie, as well as the reactions of the drivers.

The final word. Michael Deeley (producer): "The Italian Job, for example, cost £3.25m in 1969, it had a very slow start, screwed up in America, which was Paramount’s fault [and probably] to some extent [to do] with the poster… and you have to ask yourself, why did Paramount remake it in 2003?" The Maelstrom

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