Review of The Italian Job (1969) by Gail T — 18 Mar 2008

I had never seen this before! It was my 4 year old son laughing from the back seat of my car and shouting (in a passable Michael Caine impression) "You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off" - on the way home from church last Sunday - that shocked me into accepting Sky Anytime's offer to enjoy the premiere in HD! Having explained to said son that good, little, Christian 4 year olds mustn't use such language (!!!) I have to say that I enjoyed both the storyline and the amazing HD scenery in the film. You start off cringeing as the hairpin corners are driven so fast you find yourself swaying to keep the car on the road. (Btw, those who don't 'get' the ending - just go back and watch the beginning again...) The plot unfolds generously in the hands of some great acting - most notably from Caine and Coward but also a fine cameo from Benny Hill which somewhat pre-empted his lecherous 1970s Tv shows. Caine commands the centrestage with a swagger and presence I can only compare to Bobby Moore (the English national hero of the day). The car chases and crashes are fun.

And, personally, I like the open ending - you can make up your own outcome depending on all sorts of factors...only greed would kill the gang...put life first and gold takes the bus with it (but who's to stop them later playing 'fetch'???) So many imponderables - you don't always need the answer on a plate!