The Italian
Job
The 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. The 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, The Italian Job story is covered here from
start to finish: how it was made, by the people who made it.
Fans of The
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 The 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!'
The 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,
The 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.
The 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 The 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.
