Movie Moments – Italian Job Opening Sequence

Possibly one of the most captivating sequences in car movie history, these 3 minutes of automotive heaven are one of my all time favourite pieces of cinema. It begins with a wide angle shot of an alpine scene with twisting roads far below. As we glimpse the car for the first time the howl of the Lamborghini Muira’s V12 sounds fairly brutal but gives way to the romantic ‘On Days Like These’ by Matt Monro . We’re treated to in-car shots of deft alpine driving close to sheer drops and oncoming traffic which the driver seems un-phased by. However, his nonchalance seems to be his undoing at the end of the scene where our sun-glassed hero enters a tunnel that the mafia had strategically parked a digger inside. Needless to say he meets his demise and so sets the scene for the plot to continue.