Which is better? - The Italian Job (2003) Discussion

[–] taffy_turner 15 years ago

It's all a matter of opinion and how you perceive the films themselves. Naturally I prefer the original because I'm British (by the way I'm Welsh and not English though) and I grew up loving the 1969 classic for lots of reasons.

Plus there are endless charming stories about how they went about creating the massive traffic jam in Turin and how the films producer had a car waiting and a plane on standby in the airport so he and the rest of the production team could quickly flee the country if the Mini Cooper roof jump stunt went horribly wrong and any stuntmen died.

The reason being was that by Italian law the films producer and I believe director would be held responsible for any deaths in the making of the film and as such would spend a considerable amount of time in an Italian prison as a result.

Of course they would have felt bad about any deaths, but all negotiations would have been done from the UK and they'd be out of there long before the police turned up.

This information has only now been disclosed via the extras on the new DVD and Blu-Ray release.

Apart from that the original Mini Cooper S earned it's place in that film, where as the BMW version is only there as product placement and hasn't achieved anything close to what the real thing achieved.

So here's a few reviews: -

http://www.orange.co.uk/cars/picturegalleries/pics/6019_11.htm?linkfro %20%20%20%20m=cars_picturegalleries_pics_6019_10.htm&link=link_nex t&%20%20articl%20%20e=bestcarmoviescarsorangeuk

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/wheelsonfilm/3392826/Wheels-On-Fil m-The-Italian-Job.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI_tebL4Des

http://www.myspace.com/taffy1967

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[–] nutsberryfarm 12 years ago

cool links!

'you're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFIQIpC5_wY

A day without sunshine is like, you know, night.

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[–] ty-jensen 11 years ago

I think the remake is better, I seen it three times. The original is mediocre. It's slow, the characters are boring and the humor is meh. If I were British, I guess I would enjoy it more. I seen it for the first and I guess only time last night. I own both movies, a double feature DVD.

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[–] SambaPaTi 15 years ago

the original is better, the films dont really have anything in common apart from the title and 2 characters names (the use of minis is influenced by the film they are remaking as he says "lets do it like in the italian job")

that said the new one isnt a bad movie, its just a bad concept. if they changed the characters names and made it a heist movie and didnt try and hide under the originals shadow by becoming a remake it would be better.

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[–] taffy_turner 15 years ago

(the use of minis is influenced by the film they are remaking as he says "lets do it like in the italian job")

Although I believe they say that in relation to the fact they'd done a job in Italy themselves and probably not in relation to the classic 1969 film starring Michael Caine?

Plus the use of Minis is questionable as the 1969 original used original/real Mini Coopers which for many reasons (3 outright Monte Carlo Rally wins for starters) had really earned their place in that film (British Motors (BMC/BL) had no interest and provided no support and that's why you only see Fiat accredited with any thanks when the titles appear at the end).

Where as with the 2003 version it was a case of product placement by the highest bidder and BMW were the highest bidder. Plus by then they'd bought and taken the famous Mini and Cooper names to use on their hatchbacks.

http://www.myspace.com/taffy1967

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[–] SambaPaTi 15 years ago

i think it was in reference to the 1969 movie as they didnt use minis in the earlier job they did.

im pretty sure the product placement was one of the reasons for the naming of the film, either way i still think its way off mark for a remake, although oceans 11 was remade and worked i think the characters are a bit to sacred in the 1969 italian job to copy over, the names dont even sound american (john bridger and charlie croker) no offence to americans intended.

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[–] Gambit74 15 years ago

I think the original is better. It certainly has the nostalgia appeal.

On the reference I think it was two fold

1. The filmakers giving a nod to the minis in the 69 original &
2. Charlie refering to their earlier italian job where they take the safe out by going beneath it. The do the same with the truck using the subway.

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[–] Cypher_Angel 15 years ago

I think you're exactly right on the reference. Also, in an earlier scene, Steve (Norton) was watching the movie.

I have to say the remake. I saw it twice in theaters (almost unheard of; I don't see most movies even once), got the DVD, loved it. So with that in mind, was really excited to rent the original. I thought, classic caper movie, Italy, Michael Caine, what can go wrong?

Caine's character was awful. I kept expecting Austin Powers to jump out and rave how "shagadelic" everything was. It was boring, the cast was too big to develop them adequately, and I didn't even bother with the ending. My roommate insisted on starting the movie even though I had karate or astronomy lab or something that evening. I saw through them blowing up a museum/church I think before I had to leave. By that point I just didn't care enough to finish it. Seriously one of the biggest disappointments I can remember.

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If Adolph Hitler flew in today, you'd send a limousine anyway

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[–] taffy_turner 15 years ago

No doubt you were one of the biggest disappointments your parents can remember.

Seriously though, how the *beep* can you rate a film when you didn't even give it a chance or waited to see just how superior the Mini Cooper S getaway sequence was.

You're loss matey and the 2003 version is still a stinker and always will be.

http://www.myspace.com/taffy1967

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[–] Cypher_Angel 15 years ago

And I'm sure your parents are so very happy with you. So polite and charming.

I did in fact give it a chance. I was expecting to like it. It was boring, it was lame, the characters were uninteresting, and if a movie can't hold my interest for the first 2/3rds it doesn't matter how good the final act is. If you have to have a car chase to salvage the movie, I'd question whether or not it is worth saving.

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If Adolph Hitler flew in today, you'd send a limousine anyway

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[–] taffy_turner 15 years ago

You're welcome and it's a shame you didn't get the point of the film, but there again it wasn't really made for a Yanks audience.

As for comparing it to Austin Powers, are you on drugs or something because I didn't see any psychedelic split screen effects or anything to really date this film.

It's only crime is that it's a British film, which features an almost British cast and is all about the British looking fantastic whilst making a mockery of the Continentals and the Mafia.

Okay it'd be a boring world if we all liked or hated the same things. But the 1969 version means a lot to people in the UK for many reasons.

Oh and I once watched the 2003 so called remake and as much as I tried to give it a chance, I doubt I'll ever bother watching it again because it was naff and boring and even the chase sequence at the end was nothing special.

Over and out.

http://www.myspace.com/taffy1967

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[–] Cypher_Angel 15 years ago

As for comparing it to Austin Powers, are you on drugs or something because I didn't see any psychedelic split screen effects or anything to really date this film.

Was referring to Caine's attempts to lay everything female that showed up on the screen.

It's only crime is that it's a British film, which features an almost British cast

Snatch
Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels
Monty Python
Black Adder
Dr Who
Red Dwarf
The Wall
The Wicker Man
A Man For All Seasons
A Clockwork Orange
A Fish Called Wanda
The Lion In Winter
The Madness of King George
and about half the cast of The Great Escape. Those are some of my faves. And I'm not even going to start on bands. This film's Britishness had no effect either way on my judgment. Your straw man attempts to imply xenophobia (while reveling in your own) fails.

Italian prison looks nice. I wish could get sent to a prison and eat steak off of porcelain plates with sterling flatware.

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If Adolph Hitler flew in today, you'd send a limousine anyway

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[–] taffy_turner 15 years ago

Was referring to Caine's attempts to lay everything female that showed up on the screen.

He was given a coming out present from his American girlfriend, but was also caught on the job later on by which time he really should have had enough.

But it was the 1960's, there was no Aids epidemic yet and even James Bond regularly got his leg over in all his films.

So okay perhaps the sexual references are dated now, but the film itself was made straight and without the then trendy split screen effects or psychedelia (not that any of that bothers me anyway).

Snatch
Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels
Monty Python
Black Adder
Dr Who
Red Dwarf
The Wall
The Wicker Man
A Man For All Seasons
A Clockwork Orange
A Fish Called Wanda
The Lion In Winter
The Madness of King George
and about half the cast of The Great Escape. Those are some of my faves. And I'm not even going to start on bands. This film's Britishness had no effect either way on my judgment. Your straw man attempts to imply xenophobia (while reveling in your own) fails.

Good and apart from other rubbish remakes like the recent 'Wicker Man' starring Nicholas Cage, I've got a massive list of American films that I love too. So I'm not being particularly xenophobic, because I can enjoy any good film regardless of where it originated. Although I also have to say that the recent remake of 'Black Christmas' was also rubbish, but then the fantastic 1974 original was a Canadian film.

Italian prison looks nice. I wish could get sent to a prison and eat steak off of porcelain plates with sterling flatware.

Italian prison? What are you blabbering on about, there was no Italian prison shown in the 1969 classic version of 'The Italian Job'.

No it was a British prison (okay they actually used an ex-prison/museaum in Ireland) and the only person eating steak off of porcelain plates with sterling flatware was Mr Bridger who was an incarcerated criminal mastermind and who obviously had a great deal of clout on the inside as well as the outside since he was doing favours for the prison warders too.

So try opening your eyes and your mind the next time you watch a film. Getting things wrong means there's lots of intriguing things going on.

As for the 2003 remake, well they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Even if remakes generally fail to eclipse the original and are therefore soon forgotten about.

http://www.myspace.com/taffy1967

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[–] taffy_turner 15 years ago

But having said that, it's not much of a list is it? Where is 'Fahrenheit 451', 'If', or 'Get Carter'(1971), or even 'O Lucky Man' (I could keep going you know)?

http://www.myspace.com/taffy1967

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[–] Rayvio 11 years ago

I'm english and hated the original. unresolved cliffhanger, bad acting, incredibly over the top cheesiness... really, really awful movie
this version is watchable, not bad but not all that good either

~~~
"I don't care, I'm still free. You can't take the sky from me..."

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