Italian
Job
Italian Job was
a 1969 film where a gang of British crooks steal gold bullion from
Turin using three Mini Coopers.
Thirty years ago one of the most popular British films of all time
was released. Italian Job is remembered by everyone who has seen it,
if not for Michael Caine's unforgettable line "You're only supposed
to blow the bloody doors off!" - Which led to the trademark
impression of him - then for the literal cliff-hanger of an ending?
Consistently in the top 100 films of all time and voted fourth best
British film of all time, Italian Job story is covered here from
start to finish: how it was made, by the people who made it.
Fans of Italian
Job have had to wait a long time for a book which chronicles the
making of what is now a 'cult' film in the annals of British movie
making. The author has hit the nail on the head with a fact filled
book, which will delight those with an interest in this 'Mini-fest'.
How mean it was of British Leyland not to support the production by
only letting the film company has a handful of Minis. How the 'trio'
were made to drive through the gridlocked streets of Turin, through
the sewers and over the rooftops makes for fascinating reading. The
'on set' illustrations are pretty good as well!
All aspects of
the movie's making are covered, as well as the publicity campaign
and why Italian Job failed to be a success in the USA. Contributions from
many, who were involved in the making of the movie, including Sir
Michael Caine, bring the story to life. A real must for British film
fans everywhere, and don't forget 'You are only supposed to blow the
bloody doors off!'
Italian Job,
releasing on Xbox, PlayStation 2 and GameCube, is split into three
main modes. These are story, circuit and stunt challenge. The story
mode follows the events of the film, the circuit mode offers
standard lap-based racing, and the stunt challenge mode borrows a
lot from Reflection's recent PlayStation 2 title Stuntman, asking
you to complete a number of very specific challenges.
Unfortunately,
Italian Job (which, to confuse matters, is a different game to the
Italian Job which released some time ago on PlayStation and PC),
doesn't live up to its potential. The developers clearly had great
things in mind for the title, but in the end it's not polished
enough and becomes too frustrating too easily.
Italian Job's
story mode is the bulk of the game, and is the way you'll unlock
features and special behind-the-scenes materials as you move through
the title. Unfortunately, like most of Italian Job, the game's story
mode doesn't feel complete. A drab voice-over between each mission
(which sounds nothing like the film's Mark Wahlberg, as is the
intention) explains your objectives, but does a pretty mediocre job
of advancing the story. It would have been nice to see some
sequences from the film in the game, or at least a few characters
talking, but alas all you'll receive are poor snippets of voice
acting.
