The Italian Job (1969)

Directed by Peter Collinson
Starring Michael Caine, Noel Coward, Benny Hill.

The Italian Job, despite the title, is a uniquely British film - the kind of British film that belongs alongside the likes of The Great Escape, Zulu and the James Bond series. It is the prime example of a 1960s comedy caper, now a cult classic in Britain, almost to the point of being a national treasure. There are so many hallmarks to the film that it is now forever associated with - the camp Mini Coopers, Michael Caine's 'cock-er-ney' accent, the literally cliffhanger ending.

The plot is basic, leaving ample space for jokes and inventive action scenes. Charlie Croker, a dapper mobster played by Caine, plans a daring (as they always are) robbery in Turin of millions of dollars worth of gold. The first half of the film is a slow build-up to the eventual robbery that everyone is actually waiting for. The second half is truly where the film flies with a type of tongue-in-cheek humour not seen in action scenes before or since, as the Croker's gang attempts to escape with the gold packed into three Mini Cooper cars, evading the Italian police as they do so.

The performances are suitably tongue-in-cheek also. Caine plays the part with a sense of irony, aping the traditional East End London gangster role with a hint of humour. His line delivery is marvellous, making full use of his accent for maximum laughs - "You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!" Noel Coward, already a British institution by this time in his last role, gives a dignified performance as the mastermind behind the robbery.

However, the most impressive aspect of the film is easily the famous car chase. The Mini Coopers are driven so expertly, with such brilliance by the stunt drivers, it is impossible not to cheer as they find ever more innovative ways of escaping their police pursuers. The stuntwork and direction of these sequences are what makes the film so different from a standard heist/car chase movie. It is a shame these thrilling scenes in the second half cannot be matched by the frankly dull first half - these characters are so 2D it is impossible to develop them fully at all. Going into this film, with the reputation that it has as a thrillride with fast paced car chases, the first half is disappointing - even the script seems less inspired than in the second half of the film, while it fails to avoid cliche.

Overall, a wonderfully entertaining film for those dull Sunday afternoons, but skip the first half hour. The characters are rarely used as more than talking props anyway.

Rating: 6/10.