Any movie that opens with a Lamborghini Miura driving through the Italian Alps while the velvety Matt Monro sings "On Days Like These" over the titles is de facto good. But when that Lambo runs head-on into a bulldozer and is then shoved into a crevice as the assembled Mafia looks on, well, that's genius.
The original "The Italian Job" is absolutely beloved in Britain, where they obsess over every nuance and inflection of Michael Caine's cockney accent, revel in the sheer blokeness of virtually every character, and cheer whenever icons like slapstick comic Benny Hill or bon vivant Nol Coward show up on screen. But most of all they love it because three Mini Coopers are the real heroes of the story.
"The Italian Job" is a heist picture in which Charlie Croker (Caine) gathers a gang to steal $4 million worth of gold by staging the biggest traffic jam in history along the streets and piazzas of Turin, Italy. The plot is relatively insane but includes an escape both over and under Turin with three Mini Coopers stuffed with the loot. That means we see such insanity as the Minis jumping from one building's roof to another, driving along the walls of circular sewage drains and careening down the steps of a church just in front of a wedding party. More than 35 years after the film's release, these remain some of the best driving stunts ever captured on film.
The movie isn't really about the heist. It's about being English and the pride that goes along with it, even though you're a crook. In fact, when Croker approaches England's leading organized crime boss, Mr. Bridger (Coward), for financial backing, he uses the argument that the robbery would help England's "balance of payments." Bridger, who's incarcerated but still has the bearing of nobility and a fetish for the queen, agrees. It's no wonder the Brits still go nuts for this movie.
So it's somewhat ironic that the driving scenes were designed and executed by the legendary French stuntman, Remy Julienne, and his squadron of ace drivers. Julienne, who also conjured up memorable driving sequences in six different James Bond movies, is at his peak with "The Italian Job."
Part of Julienne's genius is that the Minis don't just race from stunt to stunt but perform with wit and personality. You actually root for the plucky cars rather than just admire their daring feats, and there are a lot of daring feats. The closest thing to a genuine emotion in this cartoon of a movie is when the Mini Coopers eventually meet their own grim fates during the course of the film.
Beyond that the film has a classic ending that's ambiguous, fully satisfying, a literal cliffhanger and the perfect setup for a sequel that was never made.
To fully enjoy "The Italian Job," put yourself in the mindset of 13-year-old English boys in 1969, for which this movie was originally made. If you don't, much of the film is incomprehensible or slow.
The 2003 remake of "Job" isn't a bad piece of work itself, but the only thing it has in common with the original are three Mini Coopers (new versions in the later film) and the general idea of a gold heist. If you have any taste at all, you prefer the original.
Tale Of The TapeFilm: "The Italian Job" (1969)
Cut to the Chase: 1 hour, 14 minutes and 53 seconds into the film (Chapter 10 on the DVD), the Mini Coopers begin their run through Turin
Length: 99 minutes
Chase Length: 17 minutes, 54 seconds
Total Cars Wrecked: 14
Coolest Car: 1969 Lamborghini Miura
Coolest Dialogue: "Typical, isn't it? I've been out of jail five minutes and already I'm in a hot car."
Look For: Fiat's famous test track built atop a building in Turin
A Big Plus: Marky Mark isn't in it
Locations: The streets, landmarks and sewers of Turin, Italy, and the serpentine roads climbing through the Alps
Available: The DVD is $13.04 at Amazon.com