 In a BBC documentary to celebrate his 70th birthday in March 2003,  Michael Caine (I) (qv) revealed his characters "great idea", and  the deleted ending of the film, as the gangs bus teeters on the  edge of a cliff. "The next thing that happens is you turn the engine  on," he said. "You all sit exactly where you are until all the  petrol has run out, which changes the equilibrium. We all jump out  of the bus and the gold goes over the cliff. And at the bottom are  the Italian mafia, sitting waiting for the gold."