Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
The Italian Job is the classic British crime caper from the 1960s. Directed by Peter Collinson and with music by Quincy Jones, the fast-paced and witty film gave us iconic imagery of the Mini Cooper racing through the streets of Rome.
Michael Caine (Get Carter) plays Charlie Croker, a slick, fast-talking criminal just released from prison in Britain. Once out, Croker at once goes back to his ways, and takes on “The Italian Job,” a seemingly impossible plan to steal a massive amount of gold bullion right out from under the Italian Mafia and Italian police. The hitch in the plan is they have to hijack an armored truck in the middle of the busiest square in Turin at the height of rush hour. They must then transport the gold without getting caught in the traffic. So, Crocker puts together a gang to help with the heist and produces the elaborate plan that includes modified Mini Coopers and a painted tour bus.
By today’s standards of an action film, The Italian Job may seem slow, spending the first two acts setting up the third act’s now-classic car heist and subsequent chase set to Quincy Jones’ “Getta Bloomin’ Move On” AKA The Self-Preservation Society. But that’s not to say this film is boring – it’s not. It’s funny, Caine is boorish, self-confident, and a ladies’ man in the manner that would probably not play well today but works in the context of this film. The film revels in its love of everything British, from the colors of the Minis to the fake soccer hooligans van decked out in the Union Jack. And for lovers of British comedy, we also get an appearance from Benny Hill who plays a professor with a very particular fetish when it comes to women.
The Video
This is a new digital Dolby Vision HDR master by Paramount taken from a 4K scan of the 35mm original camera negative for The Italian Job. The original anamorphic production comes to 4K Ultra HD in a 2.35:1 HEVC 2160p (4K UHD) Dolby Vision encodement. HDR10 metadata shows a MaxLL of 1000 nits and a MaxFALL of 418 nits.
This transfer shows a remarkable amount of color vibrancy as compared to the Blu-ray. From the opening scene of the driver in the red convertible against the clear blue sky, we see a deep candy apple red color on the car with a gorgeous sheen from the specular highlights. The sky is a beautiful cerulean blue. On the Blu-ray, these colors are flatter, the red of the car looks almost matte red versus the glossy red of the 4K disc.
Granularity on the disc is very thin, but present. It looks perhaps a little too suppressed, but ultimately textures and details are still there, and the image never looks smooth or smears. I would have liked to have seen just a touch more grain, but not having access to an original film or previous release, I can’t say how it should look.
The Audio
The Italian Job does not have the original monaural audio mix, comes with the original mono mix and an English 5.1 remix in lossless DTS-HD Master Audio. The 2.0 might get one closest to the original mono mix to the original theatrical experience, however, the 5.1 mix expands the soundstage by moving the revving of engines around the front and through the surrounds, bulking up the LFE, and adding extra ambience in the speakers.
(Editor’s Note: I originally mixed my notes for another another disc with a stereo 2.0 track, thank you to user @DamnFoolCrusade on Twitter for pointing this out)
The Supplements
KL Studio Classics gives this release two really fine audio commentaries from the crew and a number of previously released making-of documentaries.
Special Features:
- Reversible sleeve with all new and original artwork
- Blu-ray with feature film and special features
On 4K Ultra HD:
- Audio Commentary by screenwriter Troy Kennedy Martin and Author Matthew Field
- Audio Commentary by Producer Michael Deeley and Author Matthew Field
On Blu-ray:
- The Self Preservation Society: 2002 Making-of Documentary (1080i; 01:26:36)
- The Great Idea: 2002 Documentary (SD; 00:23:25)
- Getta Bloomin’ Move On: 2002 Documentary (SD; 00:24:22)
- Mini Adventures: 2009 Featurette (1080i; 00:17:17)
- The Deleted Scene with Optional Audio Commentary by Matthew Field (SD; 00:02:08)
- The Italian Job – Trailer (SD)
- The Italian Job – Re-release Trailer (SD)
The Final Assessment
The Italian Job is an absolute classic comedy heist. This 4K Ultra HD release from KL Studio Classics is another excellent release that is a wonderful way to watch this influential film.
The Italian Job is out on 4K Ultra HD Combo January 31, 2023, from KL Studio Classics
- Rating Certificate: G
- Studios & Distributors: Oakhurst Productions | Paramount Pictures | KL Studio Classics | Kino Lorber
- Written By: Troy Kennedy-Martin
- Run Time: 99 Mins.
- Street Date: 31 January 2023
- Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
- Video Format: HEVC 2160p (4K UHD)
- HDR Format: Dolby Vision (HDR10 Compatible)
- HDR10 Metadata:
- MaxLL: 1000 nits
- MaxFALL: 418 nits
- Primary Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1
- Secondary Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono
- Subtitles: English SDH