- Review: John Wick 3 (C)
Scott Sycamore - Weekend Box Office
May 17 - 19 - Crowd Reports
Avengers: Endgame - Us
Box office comparisons - Review: Justice League (C)
Craig Younkin
DVD Review
The Italian Job (1969)
By Lee Tistaert Published November 6, 2003
US Release: September 3, 1969
Directed by: Peter Collinson
Starring: Michael Caine
G
Running Time: 96 minutes
Directed by: Peter Collinson
Starring: Michael Caine
G
Running Time: 96 minutes
C+
5 of 6
Fails to create excitement and intrigue even with the charming Michael Caine in the lead position.
Despite an opening that seems fairly promising, the original Italian Job fails to create excitement and intrigue even with the charming Michael Caine in the lead position. The film, like its 2003 remake, is fairly straightforward and by the numbers in its storytelling approach; that doesn?t mean the film won?t entertain heist-movie fans, but there was never a point where I deeply cared about the cons being pulled. Put simply, the film may divert, but it?s ultimately nothing special.
Michael Caine stars as Charlie Croker, a con man just released from prison and already has his eyes on stealing gold in Turin, with a traffic jam hopefully creating a distraction for him. When I had seen the remake in theaters without having seen the original beforehand, I had hoped the original was better, for I didn?t find the humor funny and the characters were paper-thin, forcing me to be careless about the story.
The letdown is that despite some slick and jazzy moments, the original Italian Job is about as bland as its remake; Michael Caine, who I thought could make a great con artist, is left with a cutesy-styled script that is too lose in its attitude. Caine has a presence that is levels above Mark Wahlberg?s in the remake, but the script is aimed to be more of a chick flick at times, which spoils the film?s opportunity at performing something unique.
I was getting ready to enjoy Italian Job with its Bullitt-style opening, but once the story gave way, the adrenaline and curiosity factor was not there anymore. Though some filmgoers would probably brand this as a classic in the genre, to me it is more so a Saturday or Sunday afternoon flick to watch in your living room when not much else is going on. The Italian Job is not a bad movie, but it?s just nothing out of the ordinary albeit a relatively charming lead.
DVD Features:
- Commentary by Producer Michael Deeley and Matthew Field, Author of ?The Making of The Italian Job?
- 3 ?Making-of? Documentaries
- Deleted Scene with Commentary by Matthew Field
- Theatrical Trailer
- Re-Release Trailer
- Widescreen
Audio Features:
- (English) 5.1 Surround
- Restored English Mono
- (English) Subtitles
Michael Caine stars as Charlie Croker, a con man just released from prison and already has his eyes on stealing gold in Turin, with a traffic jam hopefully creating a distraction for him. When I had seen the remake in theaters without having seen the original beforehand, I had hoped the original was better, for I didn?t find the humor funny and the characters were paper-thin, forcing me to be careless about the story.
The letdown is that despite some slick and jazzy moments, the original Italian Job is about as bland as its remake; Michael Caine, who I thought could make a great con artist, is left with a cutesy-styled script that is too lose in its attitude. Caine has a presence that is levels above Mark Wahlberg?s in the remake, but the script is aimed to be more of a chick flick at times, which spoils the film?s opportunity at performing something unique.
I was getting ready to enjoy Italian Job with its Bullitt-style opening, but once the story gave way, the adrenaline and curiosity factor was not there anymore. Though some filmgoers would probably brand this as a classic in the genre, to me it is more so a Saturday or Sunday afternoon flick to watch in your living room when not much else is going on. The Italian Job is not a bad movie, but it?s just nothing out of the ordinary albeit a relatively charming lead.
DVD Features:
- Commentary by Producer Michael Deeley and Matthew Field, Author of ?The Making of The Italian Job?
- 3 ?Making-of? Documentaries
- Deleted Scene with Commentary by Matthew Field
- Theatrical Trailer
- Re-Release Trailer
- Widescreen
Audio Features:
- (English) 5.1 Surround
- Restored English Mono
- (English) Subtitles
Lee's Grade: C+
Ranked #5 of 6 between Butch Cassidy (#4) and The Wild Bunch (#6) for 1969 movies.
Ranked #5 of 6 between Butch Cassidy (#4) and The Wild Bunch (#6) for 1969 movies.
Lee's Overall Grading: 3025 graded movies
| A | 0.4% | |
| B | 30.0% | |
| C | 61.7% | |
| D | 8.0% | |
| F | 0.0% |
