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The Italian Job (Special Collector's Edition) (1969)
Starring: Michael Caine, Noel Coward Director: Peter Collinson
This little-known cult caper is about as depraved as they come. Michael Caine, ever the enterprising swinger and swindler, has an ingenious plan to steal a huge cache of Chinese gold to be shipped to Turin as collateral for a new Fiat plant.
The Italian Job
- Since the Italy-Great Britain soccer match is being played at the same time, Caine wants to create a diversion in the form of a monumental traffic jam.
For financing, he turns to Noel Coward, who directs British criminal enterprises from his jail cell.
A motley crew is assembled, including Benny Hill as a computer expert with a fetish for large-breasted women.
It's all a nasty and fun parody, with the most memorable robbery-chase sequence in the history of the caper genre.
Internal counter-casting is a big plus in this caper comedy: where else are you going to find Benny Hill and Michael Caine in the same movie?
Peter Collinson directs those two as well as Noel Coward, Raf Vallone, Rossano Brazzi, and Irene Handl in a story about the effort to steal gold bullion from the town of Turin.
Screenwriter Troy Kennedy Martin eschews heist film tradition by placing more emphasis on the gang's getaway than on the complex robbery itself. The film's main claim to comic fame is a wild chase scene set against an enormous traffic jam.
The rest of the movie is less memorable, but that extended action sequence is well worth the wait.
Encoding: Region 1 (US and Canada only)
Format: Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby
Rated:
Studio: Paramount Home Video
From IMDb: Quotes & Trivia
ASIN: B00005JKGI
Other Formats: VHS
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