The Italian Job (DVD)

Advantages: A good tribute to the original, well written and directed
Disadvantages: The casting choices are a little dodgy. It would never be as good as the first

...with a lot of people the Italian Job is one of my favourite films. From the first time I saw the mini’s flying around Turin I knew that it would be a film I’d always love. So imagine my reaction when I heard they were going to remake it. I had visions of Get Carter flashing through my head, Sly Stallone ruining a classic film. But I thought I’d give it a change, I mean it can’t be that bad surely. The short answer is no it wasn’t. Shortly before ...
...be a different film using the ideas and concepts of the original. Yes the characters were the same and yes they were planning to steal a lot of gold but that’s where the similarities really ended. And what your left with is a pretty good heist film that actually exceeded my expectations. The plot is fairly simple, we start in Venice where Charlie Croker (Mark Wahlberg) and his team are pulling off a daring heist using the cities vast waterways. ... Read review

Advantages: Brilliant cast, superb soundtrack, funny moments, well-written script
Disadvantages: The original might be spoilt if Hollywood suceed in making a modern remake of this. The Italian Job without Michael Caine would suck!

...out of jail and has the biggest job he will ever come across lined up. $4,000,000 of gold is being transported as payment for Fiats construction of a factory in China. With the help of the patriotic and royalist Mr. Bridger a top criminal Charlie pulls off their big job, nicking a fortune worth of gold under the noses of the police and the Mafia. Two thirds of the Italian Job is taken up with careful planning for the heist and various funny moments. ...
...a line out of the Italian Job I can instantly recall and has became very well-known and famous which you can tell by many of the other opinions on the Italian Job being titled that. The last third of the Italian Job however is taken up with the greatest car-chase in any film. What perhaps makes the car-chase in the Italian Job in my opinion the best is that the cars are not flash Ferraris or Aston Martins but plain and ordinary Minis. Though flash ... Read review

Advantages: A feel good film
Disadvantages: Let down by poor characterisation

...be big. In fact, the bigger the better in my book! Believability isn’t really the name of the game. The original version of this film (1968) was good. Fantastic car chases, good humour-filled acting and a decent story made the film into a classic and I for one really hoped that the “remake”, as it was billed, was not going to destroy the fun and magic of the original and that it would achieve, as Ocean’s Eleven did, something more. Boy, am I pleased! ...
...in others provides just what the movie-goer wants. Action, fights, chases, romance (just a touch) and humour gel together to provide a perfect whole. I would not class this as a remake, more of a tribute to the original. It doesn’t have the feel of a new blockbuster, yet neither does it feel dated. In a nutshell, it’s good! *** THE PLOT *** No spoilers here. Suffice to say that this is very much your traditional heist movie. There’s a hint of ... Read review

Advantages: Caine, Coward, Minis
Disadvantages: Seen too many times

The Sixties ... The Swinging Sixties .... aaah, the nostalgia kick, how lovely! Let's play a game - name ten things you associate with the Sixties. My list would be as follows - Carnaby Street, The Beatles, Julie Andrews, Dr Zhivago, England's World Cup win, London, George Best, Minis, hippies and Michael Caine. What about yours? Oh, what an extraordinary coincidence this is! I've named three things which you'll find in 'The Italian Job' in an ...
...'The Italian Job' is just THE archetypal British film from the Sixties. It's also the archetypal Michael Caine in the archetypal wide boy movie - plus an absolute bleedin' delight, altogether now, "YOU’RE ONLY SUPPOSED TO BLOW THE BLOODY DOORS OFF." Catchphrase a-go-go, not many people know that. It was a wonderful combination of Sixties romanticism - an England football team at the height of their powers used as cover by a bunch of English ... Read review

Advantages: A classic in every sense.
Disadvantages: None

Originally released in 1969, the Italian Job has one of the most famous sequences in movie history - the British Mini Coopers escaping from the Italian Fiats. At the end of the day, that was what this film was about, pure unbridled patriarchy. The plot for the film is simple. Charlie Croaker (Michael Caine) has just been released from prison and is going to "do a job" in Italian. To be precise, he's going to lift $4 million right from under the ...
...some supplies, Mini Coopers, dynamite, the usual sort of thing, so off he goes to visit Mr Bridger (Noel Coward), an extremely influential and patriarchal "gang" leader who he had just served time with. After a couple of false starts, Croaker gets Bridger's backing, and the preparations begin. The film itself is split into three main sections: The introduction to Croaker, the preparation for the job in Britain, and the job itself. I was surprised ... Read review

Advantages: Action, mini coopers
Disadvantages: None

.... The cars used in this movie for a lot of the scenes are the new style Mini Coopers so if you like these cars then this is definitely a film for you. The obviously got some great stunt drivers because some of the scenes with the cars are absolutely unbelievable and you wonder how on earth they do not crash into each other! The DVD runs for approximately 110 minutes and has a number of good special features. If you only watch one do tune into The Italian Job - Driving School if you want to see more of the cars in action. Apart from that there are stunts, deleted scenes and The Making of The Italian Job. All in all definitely a movie I would recommend.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Brilliant film
Disadvantages: none

...Benny Hill in a small role as Professor Simon Peach. The car chase is brilliant and stunning, and has since been copied by many people. There was a loose remake of this film made ain 2003, but it is not as good as this original version. I would highly recommend The Italian Job to everyone. It is well worth buying on DVD.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: One of my favourite films of all time, an absolute classic film still enjoyed today.
Disadvantages: It has taken its time to arrive in DVD format.

...It has to be said, ever since I was first introduced to the film, 'The Italian Job' as a child I have absolutely loved it. It is most definitely one of my favorite films of all time. Mind you we've been made to wait for the release of the DVD. The film was first released to cinema audiences in 1969 and believe it or not actually started life as a bit of a flop, almost sinking without trace. Fortunately it became almost a cult film a few years later and now enjoys its current status thanks to years of being shown on the television. In my view the impact the film has made can be summed up in a simple comparison of standards, "This film did for Minis what James Bond did for Vodka Martini and Aston Martin." The basic plot I am sure that most people out there have seen this film at least once, but for clarity and those who potentially... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful