Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		3.5

The Italian Job 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 28, 2023

Peter Collinson's "The Italian Job" (1969) arrives on 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include two audio archival commentaries; making of featurette; deleted scene; vintage promotional trailers for the film; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The text below was initially used in our review of the first Blu-ray release of The Italian Job, which Paramount Pictures UK produced in 2009.

Peter Collinson’s The Italian Job is about a group of British thieves who set out to steal $4,000,000 in gold from Italian automotive giant Fiat in Turin. They are led by the enigmatic Charlie Croker (Michael Caine, Funeral In Berlin), a man with connections, who has just been released from prison. He is assisted by Mr. Bridger (Noel Coward, The Scoundrel), a well-respected and notably patriotic underground boss with plenty of affluent friends.

The thieves’ plan is ambitious. They will create a massive traffic jam in downtown Turin, pack the stolen gold in three Mini Coopers and transport it out of the city. Then, they would load the gold on a bus and take it back to England.

Croker hires the best drivers he could find. He also secures the services of Professor Simon Peach (Benny Hill, The Waiters), a man with full-figured women. After a series of practice sessions, the thieves head to Turin where Italy is facing England in a crucial football game.

The Italian Job is an entertaining film that is nowadays considered a classic primarily because of its terrific car chase sequence. It blends comedy with action very well and even manages to produce a few rather intriguing generalizations about England and its status as a European powerhouse. As you could guess, there is a good reason why the thieves steal the gold from Fiat while driving Mini Coopers.

The buildup to the final act, however, is rather underwhelming. The training session, in particular, is clearly mismanaged. There is only one funny sequence that produces the famous line “You’re only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!”. The rest is largely a rehashing of what had already been done better in other '60s action films (Bullitt).

The final act does deserve all of the praise it has generated over the years. Even by contemporary standards, the long and intense chase is still looks very impressive. The roof-to-roof jump sequence in particular -- which was shot on the roof of the Fiat factory -- is simply breathtaking.

An interesting bit of trivia reveals that Robert Redford was considered for Caine's part. However, Redford ended up playing one of the two classic characters in George Roy Hill’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, which was released a few months after the The Italian Job.

The Italian Job 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kino Lorber's release of The Italian Job is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray release is Region-Free. The Blu-ray release is Region-A "locked".

The release is sourced from an exclusive new 4K master that was prepared after the Italian Job was fully restored in 4K at Paramount Pictures. The native 4K presentation of the film can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR. I viewed the entire film with HDR.

Even before the film's title appeared on my screen, I knew that the new 4K makeover will be underwhelming. Right before the Italian mafiosi destroy the red Lamborghini and its driver in the tunnel, there are a few wonderful panoramic shots and they all look problematic. Why? The sky is not blue. It is cyan and has a very harsh neon-esque appearance. The greens and some of the whites are also quite awkward. (See screencaptures #6, 7, and 8). The rest of the 4K makeover reveals all sorts of different anomalies that would be very distracting to anyone that has prior experience with the film. For example, virtually all blues and variations of blues are shifted toward cyan, so in numerous areas, the color balance is visibly off. In some areas, the shift completely destabilizes white and white nuances. (See screencapture #3). In other areas, the altered white and white nuances collapse together with gray and silver. (See screencapture #15 where the silver car has a completely different appearance now). In other words, the odd fluctuations are everywhere and impact different indoor and outdoor footage. Unsurprisingly, the cyan shift also changes the native color of one of the three Mini Coopers -- the blue one now looks cyan (see screencapture #36). I think that this particular change is impossible to ignore. However, anyone that knows the film will discover a seemingly endless supply of errors because as it is timed here the film quite simply looks like a modern production with mostly digital qualities. Also, there is quite a bit of footage that reveals crushing in darker and brighter footage. (See screencapture #26). All of this is extremely disappointing because the new 4K files could have produced a presentation of the film that is vastly superior to the one that was offered via the this release in 2009. Why? The new 4K files do not have any traces of filtering, so delineation, clarity, and sharpness are superb. Image stability is outstanding, too. The entire film looks immaculate as well.

Does HDR/Dolby Vision change anything? No. In native 4K and 1080p, the entire film has the same incorrect harsh neon-esque look. There are a few sequences where the saturation levels seem to be slightly better handled with HDR, but elsewhere the cyan spikes look even more pronounced. Also, in native 4K, some of the outdoor footage where the sunlight should be prominent looks even more neutral than it does in 1080p. All in all, I think that the new 4K makeover is a missed opportunity to deliver a definitive presentation of The Italian Job. My score is 3.25/5.00.

The Italian Job 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed The Italian Job with the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. I thought that it was outstanding. Clarity, sharpness, depth, and dynamic potency were phenomenal. As you know well, the film has a lot of racing action so there is plenty of material that impresses in different ways, too. I only tested a few areas with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track because it was the only lossless track on the previous release. It is very good and I suspect that a lot of viewers will prefer it.

The Italian Job 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage U.S. trailer for The Italian Job from Paramount Pictures. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Re-release Trailer - a vintage U.S. trailer for re-release of The Italian Job from Paramount Pictures. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• The Deleted Scene with commentary by author Matthew Field - the only deleted scene from The Italian Job is deconstructed by Matthew Field. The scene can be seen with or without the commentary. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Mini Adventures - this archival program examines the history of the Mini Cooper and its lasting appeal. Some of the key chase sequences from The Italian Job are addressed as well. The program was produced in 2009. In English, not subtitled. (18 min).

• Getta Bloomin' Move On - this archival program focuses on the fearless style of the legendary French action choreographer/stunt driver Remy Julienne and his work in The Italian Job. Included in it are clips from interviews with producer Michael Deeley, cinematographer Douglas Slocombe, second unit director Philip Wrestler, screenwriter Troy Kennedy Martin, and actor Frank Jarvis (Roger), amongst others. The program was produced in 2002. In English, not subtitled. (25 min).

• The Great Idea - this archival program focuses on the conception and production history of The Italian Job. Included in it are clips from interviews with screenwriter Troy Kennedy Martin, producer Michael Deeley, Hazel Collinson, and cinematographer Douglas Slocombe, amongst others. The program was produced in 2002. In English, not subtitled. (24 min).

• The Self Preservation Society - this archival documentary explores the production, shooting, promotion, reception, and timeless appeal of The Italian Job. Included in it are clips from interviews with Michael Caine, screenwriter Troy Kennedy Martin, composer Quincey Jones, actress Margaret Blye, chief of production at Paramount Pictures ('66-'75) Robert Evans, and producer Michael Deeley, amongst others. The program was produced in 2002. In English, not subtitled. (97 min).

• Commentary One - this archival audio commentary was recorded by screenwriter Troy Kennedy Martin and Mathew Field, author of "The Making of The Italian Job". The two gentlemen discuss the history of the film, what it took to get it made, how it resonated with critics and audiences, etc.

• Commentary One - this archival audio commentary was recorded by producer Michel Deeley and Matthew Field. It is different and was prepared for the previous 40th anniversary Special Edition Blu-ray release of The Italian Job. I think that it is better than the other audio archival commentary that is listed above.

The Italian Job 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The color blue has a very important role in The Italian Job. However, after the film was fully restored in 4K at Paramount Pictures, this role is greatly diminished. It is not only because one of the Mini Coopers does not look as it should, the entire film is oddly graded and now has the appearance of a contemporary production. This is very unfortunate because it is incredibly easy to tell that the raw 4K files are of exceptionally high quality and could have produced a definitive home video release.