Charlie’s got a ‘Job’ to do. Having just left prison, he finds one of his friends has attempted a high risk job in Italy right under the nose of the Mafia. Charlie’s friend doesn’t get very far so Charlie takes over the ‘Job’. Using three Mini Coopers, a couple of Jaguars and a bus, he hopes to bring Torino to a standstill, steal the Gold and escape. This is a classic robbery film based around a very British Charlie Crooker portrayed by the legend Sir Michael Caine. If having Michael Caine as the lead actor wasn’t British enough what cars do they use? Only the British motoring icon the Mini Cooper with some of the greatest chase scenes in films and cleverly performed motoring acrobatics leaving the viewers in awe and ultimately cheering on the crooks. With some clever iconic lines such as ‘you’re only supposed to blow the bloody doors off’ and ‘you wouldn’t hit a man with no trousers on, would you?’ adding a subtle hint of comedy within the plot lines.
Whilst this is an iconic film it didn’t stop film makers attempting to remake the classic film, whilst the film itself was a great film it wasn’t good enough to carry on the legacy of the original film. It was heavily Americanised with the lead characters being American and plenty of shooting sequences which don’t fit with the original that it is supposed to be a remake of. Whilst the theme of stealing a boat load of money from another country and the iconic mini coopers being a main part of the plot everything else changed. However these were the bigger mini coopers that were used within the film which to me aren’t ‘classic’ mini coopers which doesn’t follow the aesthetic that the original film was based upon. Get some classic mini coopers, block the roads, get the money and get out of here!
While I do enjoy the remake of the Italian Job it is nothing compared to the original, it may be a homage but it cannot fulfil what the original film created. it follows the idea that you cannot recreate an iconic film. There are things within the original film that make it an icon that you simply cannot recreate no matter how much you try. Both films are great but the original film will always stand the test of time and forever stay with me as one of my all-time favourite films