Lot's of cars thrown off cliffs...
That would be one way to describe the original "Italian Job" staring Michael Caine. I recently bought this movie on DVD and got around to watching it for the first time this past weekend. I was a little nervous about all the recent hype- all the cries of "heresy" when comparing the recent remake to this cult classic. Would this film actually live up to the hype? What I was expecting was a good old-fashioned caper flick- with cool characters, great dialogue and awesome car chases. It was not that.
I would describe this movie as a "Screwball Caper"- it was more of a comedy than an action film - There was no real sense of urgency or danger at any point and the action was kept to a minimum. That is not to say that it's a bad film. The picture has many merits- some of which include awesome eye candy in the form of both old English sports cars of all shapes and sizes and some of the best women the 60's had to offer.
The much famed "MINI chase sequence" was not at all what I expected- in my mind it looked a lot more like the chase from "The Bourne Identity"- fast and a little dangerous- in which the MINI successfully outruns much more powerful cars through agility and the ability to fit through really really small spaces. Instead the chase was more of an automotive-ballet in which three very trick coopers are pursued by a bottomless supply of lame Italian cops in crappy fiats. The sequence had its moments though- the rooftop jump was awesome, and I generally liked watching the MINIs drive around- through water, mud, woods, museums, rooftops, drainpipes etc- but not only was there little or no edge of your seat excitement- there was no music?! not until they finally escaped anyway. I would have to say that overall the chase was very cool for what it was- though I was expecting something entirely different.
Still... I liked it- it's definitely quirky and funny and loaded with character- and man did they throw a lot of cars off of cliffs- I think probably 7 or 8 total and all of them were gorgeous- If I recall correctly- they trash: a Lamborghini, 3 minis, 2 jag e-types and an Aston martin- so that is 7 that I can remember- All I can say is I hope they were fakes 'cause they were beautiful before their swan dives.
As far as comparisons go between the old and newer versions of the film- much homage was paid to the original version including some near identical shots during the chase sequence.
I would recommend this film to anyone who's into classic cars and likes "English humor" (Monty Python etc.- though it's not that kind of hilarious). I would also mention that this movie is as much a 90-minute car commercial for MINI as the recent release- not that there's anything wrong with that...
I would describe this movie as a "Screwball Caper"- it was more of a comedy than an action film - There was no real sense of urgency or danger at any point and the action was kept to a minimum. That is not to say that it's a bad film. The picture has many merits- some of which include awesome eye candy in the form of both old English sports cars of all shapes and sizes and some of the best women the 60's had to offer.
The much famed "MINI chase sequence" was not at all what I expected- in my mind it looked a lot more like the chase from "The Bourne Identity"- fast and a little dangerous- in which the MINI successfully outruns much more powerful cars through agility and the ability to fit through really really small spaces. Instead the chase was more of an automotive-ballet in which three very trick coopers are pursued by a bottomless supply of lame Italian cops in crappy fiats. The sequence had its moments though- the rooftop jump was awesome, and I generally liked watching the MINIs drive around- through water, mud, woods, museums, rooftops, drainpipes etc- but not only was there little or no edge of your seat excitement- there was no music?! not until they finally escaped anyway. I would have to say that overall the chase was very cool for what it was- though I was expecting something entirely different.
Still... I liked it- it's definitely quirky and funny and loaded with character- and man did they throw a lot of cars off of cliffs- I think probably 7 or 8 total and all of them were gorgeous- If I recall correctly- they trash: a Lamborghini, 3 minis, 2 jag e-types and an Aston martin- so that is 7 that I can remember- All I can say is I hope they were fakes 'cause they were beautiful before their swan dives.
As far as comparisons go between the old and newer versions of the film- much homage was paid to the original version including some near identical shots during the chase sequence.
I would recommend this film to anyone who's into classic cars and likes "English humor" (Monty Python etc.- though it's not that kind of hilarious). I would also mention that this movie is as much a 90-minute car commercial for MINI as the recent release- not that there's anything wrong with that...
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