Blowing the Bloody Doors Off: And Other Lessons in Life

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Learn what you can from what you get"; "Be lucky: be prepared"; "Use the difficulty"; "Just say yes", and "Whatever it is, give it 100 per cent".

While reading, I envisioned sitting in a library or study around a fire listening to him tell me all the tales, the ups and downs, and tucking in bits of wisdom.He is a joy to listen to and doesn't appear to have lost any poise despite being 85 years old the year this book was released. A British icon, hugely respected, knighted in 1992, with a load of nominations and awards, it is all the more impressive given he was destined to follow his father into fish mongering after his early life in Elephant and Castle in Southwark. Michael Caine delivers another book this time with the intention of delivering some tips to wannabee actors/actresses and to people that are good doing something.

Caine has also clearly worked very hard, and he wants his readers to know that he’s never taken his success for granted. I loved his down-to-earth style and philosophy of life, especially how he used the "little difficulties" to positive effect. The life lessons he extrapolates from these early years will certainly stand readers in good stead, but they're also all pretty standard. As a life-long fan of the man, I thoroughly enjoyed Blowing the Bloody Doors Off and can recommend it to anyone who likes actors who’ve stuck to their roots and (unlike some) have not been dazzled by the bright lights of Hollywood into believing their own publicity. He refers a bit to his time in the infantry, of which he observes almost everything is pleasant by comparison.His first major starring roles, beginning in the 1960s, include 'Zulu,' 'The Ipcress File,' and 'Alfie. It is almost all sound sense related to positivity, organisation, setting your self up to do a good job, not having an ego and not being an ass (my wording, not his). In Blowing the Bloody Doors Off screen gem Michael Caine hands out plenty of advice for anyone in the acting profession, or in life generally. While this would align perfectly if the reader is an actor (or aspiring actor), it is not to say it is not comparable for life in general. The greatest trick, as he says, has always been ‘to grasp every bloody opportunity that appears in front of me’.