In the opening scenes of The Italian Job, the viewer is witness to a robbery being conducted by a cast of likable thieves- and like any good crime-caper film, a chase ensues! This chase however differs from the typical car chase found in many other films. This chase is a boat chase- and a boat chase through Venice! What lends excitement to these great sequences, beyond good editing and directing, is the depiction of the spatial characteristics of the canal city. As Handsome Rob (Jason Statham) escapes his pursuers via ultra-fast speedboat through an antiquated context, he is forced to weave and dodge through canal alleys to avoid many close calls. This avoidance of collision with the city does not only happen on one axis because Handsome Rob must also duck his head to escape decapitation while passing under small bridges. It becomes apparent that Venetian space operates at all of the Cartesian axes.
Light and dark seem to mimic extreme spatial variations as camera shots turn from lighted scenes upon the canal to extreme dark under bridges. Even before the chase begins, the viewer is presented to the scenario as the camera lens moves through floors and levels in the building where the robbery is first conducted. The viewer is also made aware of the greatest sub-level of the city underwater as it is revealed that this is where the real robbery is happening while the boat chase was a diversion all along.
