You were only supposed to blow the bloody review off! #9

The Italian Job (not the stupid remake) is a classic film, particularly amongst old car anoraks such as myself. It's right up there with Bullitt and the original Gone in 60 Seconds.

I'd seen bits of TIJ here and there, and played the (actually quite good) Playstation game, but had never seen the whole film.

It's fantastic, of course, and not just for the cars.

I've seen it dismissed quite a few times as merely a thin plot leading up to a great car chase, and even as a giant Mini Cooper advertisement (which it unintentionally is) but it's definitely got more to it than that (something it shares with Bullitt in my opinion).

There are some very memorable lines (as referenced in the title of this review) and some great characters. Benny Hill's Professor Peach is hilarious, but his character's mother is even better, completely mad. Noel Coward's Mr. Bridger is another standout, and you can't forget about Charlie Croker!

Most of all (like many old films), it's a record of a different era in every way:
The social attitudes of the sixties;

• Charlie Croker's attitude to women;
• British jingoism;

the filmmaking style of the time;

• virtually all shot on location;
• real Italian traffic jams(!);
• sixties camerawork and editing;
• wanton biffing of expensive cars off ridiculously scenic precipices

and most importantly, the material objects of the sixties;

• the cars;
• computers in their infancy;
• the cars;
• sharp threads;
• the cars;
• crazy lingo;
• the cars;
• rotary dial telephones;
• the cars.

(all the car links are different)

If you love old cars, watch this.
If you love Britain, watch this.
If you love the sixties, watch this.
If you don't love any of those, but you love a good laugh, watch this.