Runtime: 99 minutes
Directed by: Peter Collison
Starring: Michael Caine, Noel Coward, Benny Hill, Raf Vallone, Margaret Blye
From: Paramount
As sometimes occurs, I will choose to visit or revisit a film due to the ability to tell a story concerning it. In this case, I saw this theatrically in 2009 under odd circumstances. The early summer of that year, a 12 screen cineplex opened in the downtown region of Orlando; the people who ran it independently were incompetent fools... this resulted in second-run features and older movies being played there before it was taken over by others and eventually it became a part of Cobb Theatres, where it is now run professionally and it is a nice place which has a food menu and the theatrical experience is nice.
To demonstrate the fiasco that place was-which caused somewhat of an uproar at the time-I went and saw this without knowing if it was the Michael Caine original or the Marky Mark remake... I asked at the building which one it was and did not get a straight answer. What I saw online gave the public conflicting information. It took the opening minute to realize this is what I would be seeing. What came out in 2003 has never been viewed by my eyes... yet.
As for the film itself, it is fine although it is not beloved by me as it is with apparently many others. It wasn't always as funny as it thought it was (Benny Hill as an eccentric computer expert who loves women of the BBW variety... no thank you), at times it was more annoying than anything else and perhaps I would prefer the 2003 movie as I understand that is more serious than '69. At least this is still fine overall. Michael Caine as the star was for certain an asset.; so was Quincy Jones' score. But of course it was a great heist and getaway, even if implausible at times. I don't know if an original Mini Cooper can really go down multiple sets of stairs... thankfully it makes for a tremendous visual so it's something to be ignored as those small vehicles go all over the city, enter buildings, drive on sidewalks, go in sewers, etc. The cliffhanger ending was also an appropriate denouement.
Perhaps this will never blow wind up my skirt; at least the heist was a joyous experience on the big screen back 11 summers ago.
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