The Italian Job (1969)

So very British, 20 February 2005

Charlie Croker (Michael Caine) has been out of prison for less than five minutes when he begins planning his next heist. This one involves robbing an armored car filled with gold in the streets of Turin, Italy. But, it's not just the police that Croker and Crew must contend with. The Mafia doesn't want some outsider to come into their country and steal gold out from under their noses either. The job becomes similar to the football match the Crew uses as a cover - it's about national pride.

It's amazing that I had never seen this movie before. I understand that in Britain, it's considered nothing short of a national treasure. After watching, I can certainly see why. Everything about The Italian Job just screams Britannia - the Minis, the song with lyrics that are indecipherable to most Americans, Michael Caine, sensibilities, etc. I don't think that the colors selected for the Minis was an accident. About half way through, I felt like stopping the movie to make tea.

The actual theft of the gold is fairly unremarkable. But the chase afterwards is where a lot of the fun in this movies lays. The Minis are characters in their own right. The final third of the movie is the most amazing commercial for an automobile I've ever seen. We see the Minis go down stairs, jump through the air, race across the roofs of buildings, splash through water, swoosh through tunnels, and (if you watch the deleted scenes on the Region 1 DVD) waltz on ice. Sometimes these extended car chase scenes can go on too long for their own good. Not here. I was never bored of watching the Minis race around Turin.

I loved the ending. It is left wide open for you, the viewer, to decide just what happens next. Too many newer movies seem to feel the need to explain everything in the most minute detail. It's nice to use your imagination for a change.

Finally, the music is another highlight of the movie. It seems a little odd that a movie I have described being very British should have the very American Quincy Jones responsible for the score. I defy anyone to watch The Italian Job and not have Getta Bloomin' Move On! stuck in your head for days.

8/10