Charlie has just left prison, and now wants to do a ‘big job’. The job is to steal $4m of gold arriving in Italy from China. Charlie’s job needs financing, so he goes to Mr Bridger (a Mafia-type boss) who is in prison (Charlie has to break in !). In Italy, a clever plan is used to distract the authorities, while the raiders make their get-away in three Minis. This leads to an excellent car chase sequence through Italian streets, buildings, rivers, sewers, highways and rooftops which lasts for several minutes.

The Italian Job (1969)
  • Rating: (17,424 votes)
  • Taglines:Introducing the plans for a new business venture: "The Italian Job." » This is the self preservation society »
  • Runtime:99 minutes
  • Director: Peter Collinson
  • Country:UK
  • Actors:
    Charlie Croker
    Michael Caine
    Mr. Bridger (as Noël Coward)
    Noel Coward
    Professor Simon Peach
    Benny Hill
    Altabani
    Raf Vallone
    Freddie
    Tony Beckley
    Beckerman
    Rossano Brazzi
    Lorna (as Maggie Blye)
    Margaret Blye
    Miss Peach
    Irene Handl
    Governor (as John le Mesurier)
    John Le Mesurier
    Birkinshaw
    Fred Emney
  • Genres:Action, Comedy, Crime, Thriller
  • Producers:
    Michael Deeley
    producer  
    Robert Porter
    associate producer (as Bob Porter) 
    Stanley Baker
    producer (uncredited)  
  • Plots: Charlies' got a 'Job' to do. Having just left prison he finds one of friends has attempted a high risk job in Italy, right under the nose of the Mafia. Charlies 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. Written by Andy Topham <andrew.topham@aeat.co.uk>
The Italian Job
  • User's comment:Mamma Mia! This classic crime caper still looks good today - 83% by Mr Ben

    Now this is more like it! Having bought this movie (and getting the wretched 2003 remake free with it), I waited until last night before I refreshed my memory. And despite being more than thirty years older, it scoops up the remake in a snowplough and tosses it down the side of a mountain. This is the superior film and not just because of the whole "English" thing.

    Michael Caine plays Charlie Croker, a lovable cheeky Cockney rogue who is given plans for the biggest gold heist of the century after being released for prison. Assembling his finest team of experts, the group head off to Italy to pull off the seemingly-impossible - steal $4'000'000 worth of gold from under the noses of the Italian Mafia and escape through the crowded streets of Turin and dash for the Swiss border. Only, it's not as easy as that...

    Caine shines as Croker, turning what could have been a dark character into this almost comedic gem. He has all the best lines for the simple reason that nobody else comes close. Even the great Noel Coward seems to be sleep-walking in his role as Mr Bridger, Croker's Imperialistic mentor who's still behind bars. So the first half of the film belongs to Caine which is just as well because the Mini's steal the second half. Like "From Dusk Til Dawn", this is a movie with a definite switch halfway through as the cars take over and leave the audience struggling to remember anything from the first half.

    And even so long after the initial release, the Mini Coopers are still mind-blowing to watch. By far and away the most inventive part of the film, the car chase is what everybody remembers and rightly so. It is a shame because the build-up to the heist is rather funny. This isn't a serious crime movie - no dour detectives or rainy city scenes here. This film is bright, colourful and a joy to watch, even if you will have forgotten the first half by the end of it. And what an ending, possibly the greatest cliffhanger of all time. Literally.

    There is much to admire about "The Italian Job". It's an amusing crime caper, a family version of "Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels", which has plenty to involve young and old. It also harks back to a time when it was great to be British - we had won the World Cup, we had the Beatles and the Rolling Stones blazing a new trail throughout the world. We had flower power and the summer of Love. Watching this film, it is impossible for any Englishman to not feel his blood pumping in patriotic fervour. The characters, the story, the cars, the annoyingly catchy soundtrack - everything is geared towards celebrating England and poo-pooing the rest of the world. And quite frankly, it's about time too! Forget "Austin Powers" - this is the real Swinging Sixties and it's just groovy, baby!


  • Quotes: Charlie Croker: It's a very difficult job and the only way to get through it is we all work together as a team. And that means you do everything I say. Charlie Croker: Hang on, lads; I've got a great idea. Garage Manager: You must have shot an awful lot of tigers, sir.
  • Also known as: Charlie staubt Millionen ab (Austria), Charlie staubt Millionen ab (West Germany), A Fuga (Portugal - pre-release title), Az olasz meló (Hungary - imdb display title), Brottsplats Italien (Sweden - DVD title), Den vilda biljakten (Sweden - imdb display title), Den ville biljakten (Norway), Dobar posao u Italiji (Serbia), Faena a la Italiana (Uruguay), Italyan Usulü Soygun (Turkey - Pay-TV title, Turkish title), L'or se barre (France), Listeia... ala italika (Greece - transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title), Maxi-job i mini-biler (Denmark), Riehakas ryöstö (Finland), Um Golpe à Italiana (Brazil - dubbed version), Um Golpe em Itália (Portugal - imdb display title), Un colpo all'italiana (Italy), Un trabajo en Italia (Spain), Wloska robota (Poland),

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