There is a remake of this film, which I have to admit is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. So I figured why not. I enjoy heist films and this is a very famous one. I have been getting surprised a lot by my picks a lot recently. I knew this had comedic elements, but I didn't realize it was a straight of British comedy.
The traditional British humor is a mix of dry wit and silly and often time racy low brow humor. The Italian Job stays true to its roots. This goes along with the time it was made. '69, the summer of love and the height of sexual exploration in America and abroad (no pun intended).
The Italian Job is silly, and the heist plays second fiddle to the frivolity. Michael Caine get out of prison and get the lead in a semi-planned armored car robbery. He then puts together a team of misfit thieves to assist him in this stick up. The entire plan centers around the ability to cause a traffic jam in an exceptionally busy part of an Italian city. It is fun to go back and look at the cheap props and how technology has changed between the 60's and now. So who do they put in charge of what could be considered the most critical element of the heist? Benny Hill playing a character that has a thing for fat women.
Then there is the famous car chases. I found them to be hit and miss. The chase scenes seemed (like most of the movie) to revolve around the ridiculousness and less on the action of a high speed chase. The mini Coopers are iconic for this film and there are a few exciting moments, but overall it was just silly.
Michael Caine was good in his role as the ladies man / crook. It is no wonder that this film was such a success and that 42 years later people are still doing bad Michael Caine impersonations. I give The Italian Job ★★★.
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