As the Mini Coopers rock from side to side along a sewage tunnel, with £4 million in gold bullion in their boots and Quincy Jones's infectious score swinging away in the background, ask yourself this: is there a film - certainly a British film - that delivers a greater infusion of pure joy than The Italian Job?
As a comic heist film, The Italian Job is diverting, though slight. As a feature-length advertisement for the MINI Cooper, however, it's an unqualified triumph.
80
Time Out
Time Out
The quintessential British caper film of the 1960s, The Italian Job is a flashy, fast romp that chases a team of career criminals throughout one of the biggest international gold heists in history.
The cast does its stuff to good effect. Coward, as the highly patriotic, business-like master crook, brings all his imperturbable sense of irony and comedy to his role.
Like most criminals, however, the creators expend all their energies on the heist and not nearly enough building their characters.
50
TV Guide Magazine
TV Guide Magazine
Their scheme involves causing a major traffic jam in the middle of Turin, Italy, which allows them to steal gold ingots from an armored car. The gold is then stashed in a bus, and the predictable chase ensues.