Review of The Italian Job (1969) by Tom P — 30 Sep 2009

1969's "The Italian Job" is an interesting comedy-caper, which boasts one of the better heist sequences ever committed to celluloid. Michael Cain, in only his third movie role, is a worthy protagonist.

The film uses liberal doses of highly stylized cinematography. Although this makes for some visually interesting and quirky scenes, it's largely inconsistent and actually detracts from the seriousness of the heist concept.

This is best epitomized by a gratuitous ?Benny Hill? style scene with said comedian. The nod to his show is undoubtedly done to appease his many fans during the height of his popularity on the BBC. It's humorous, but once again distracts from the main plot, and asks for too great a suspension of disbelief from the audience.

Any car aficionado will have a tough time watching vintage vehicles like Aston Martin's and Ferrari's get thrown off cliffs and mangled like so much tinfoil. However, the movie literally ends with a cliffhanger, so kudos to that.

"Job" is a fun, spirited ride.