Review of The Italian Job (1969) by Ola G — 25 Mar 2016

Charlie Croker (Michael Caine), a Cockney criminal, is released from prison with the intention of doing a "big job" in Italy. He soon meets with the widow (Lelia Goldoni) of his friend and fellow thief Roger Beckermann (Rossano Brazzi), who was killed by the Mafia while driving a Lamborghini Miura in the Italian Alps. Mrs Beckermann gives Croker her husband's plans for the robbery that attracted the hostile attention of his killers, which detail a way to steal 4 million dollars in the city of Turin and escape to Switzerland. Croker breaks back into his former prison to convince Mr. Bridger (Noël Coward), the head of a huge criminal empire, to finance the plan. Bridger, who has bribed almost all of the prison guards to work for him, initially rejects the plan, but changes his mind after he learns Fiat is set to build a new factory in China. With Bridger's blessing, Croker recruits computer expert Professor Peach (Benny Hill), his girlfriend Lorna (Maggie Blye) and a team of thieves and drivers. The plan calls for Peach to replace the programme in the computer controlling Turin's traffic control system, creating a paralysing traffic jam that will allow the thieves to escape with the gold in three Mini Cooper getaway cars...

This 1969 caper has received generally positive reviews, but some negative reviews, focusing on what is perceived as a predictable chase and a lack of real emotion.Vincent Canby, writing at the time of the film's release, felt that the caper film had been made before and much better as well. He complimented the film's technological sophistication, only criticising what he saw as an 'emotionally retarded' plot. Canby also expressed concern that Coward's appearance in the film, although intended to be kind, 'exploits him in vaguely unpleasant ways' by surrounding his character with images of the royal family, which had not knighted him at the time. A contemporary review in Time Magazine felt that the film spent too much time focusing on the film's caper as opposed to building the characters; it also criticised the car chases as 'dull and deafening'. Although it received a Golden Globe nomination for "Best English-Language Foreign Film", the film was not a success in America. Caine blamed its failure on unattractive and misleading advertising. As a result, plans for a sequel were shelved. "The Italian Job" has been on my to see list for a long time and I reckon I was expecting something else then what I got. I was expecting a solid 60´s crime drama, but what I got was a wacky farce with a limp storyline, plenty of characters that gets no time to be developed and a dramatisation that leaves you unsatisfied. The minute I saw the name Benny Hill in the opening sequence I became sceptical and unfortunately I was right in being sceptical. Yes, the chase with the Mini Coopers is exceptional, but that´s not enough when the rest is unfocused story wise and too farcical for my taste. The cliff hanger in the end is not that exciting and with these one dimensional and partly stupid characters you simply don´t care what happens next.