10 Movies That Are Nothing More Than Feature Length Commercials
10. Mini Coopers To The Rescue - The Italian Job (2003)
Product placement and automobiles go hand in hand. Everyone needs to get from point A to point B and fictional characters are no different. Automobile product placement is one of the most common forms of cinematic advertising, from James Bonds love of Aston Martins to the Fast & Furious relentless car fetishisation. The first entry of on list managed to integrate an automobile product placement so thoroughly into its plot that its climax turned into a glorified car commercial. 1969 caper film The Italian Job tells the tale of how a cockney gangster, played by Michael Caine, devises a plan to rob an armoured car full of gold. The ingenious caper involved the use of three Mini Cooper Ss to navigate gridlocked Turin streets and transport the stolen booty. Upon its release, the Italian Job earned critical and commercial success, going on to enjoy lasting popularity in the UK. The 2003 remake of the Italian Job decided to pay homage to the original by again casting the Mini Cooper, now manufactured by BMW, in a starring role. Cinematographer Wally Pfister and director F. Gary Gray went so far as to study car commercials to help develop the visual style of the film and maximise the cool factor of BMWs new retro line of Minis. BMW provided 32 Minis for the production and its investment paid off in spades. During the climatic heist, the Mini Coopers become the stars of the show, combining speed, reliable steering, and ruggedness to help the films hero thwart Ed Nortons dastardly villain. The 2003 Italian job enjoyed a warm critical reception with many critics and business analyst citing it as a prime example of successful brand integration. Sales of the Mini Cooper increased by a whopping 22% after the films theatrical run. As far as car commercials go, this is probably one of the most entertaining ever created.
