By 1969, the chirpy Cockney gangster was already a cliche of British cinema, so the only solution was to take them out of their native South London and send them to Turin. Fresh off the success of his Harry Palmer spy flicks and critical acclaim for as the womanizing Alfie, Michael Caine took an unexpected comedic turn in this story of an unlikely crew targeting a gold bullion shipment. The pairing of Benny Hill and Noël Coward is no less unlikely than using Mini Coopers as getaway cars, but the end result is a sidesplitting classic. – Richard Whittaker
