Today’s quick review: The Bank Job. When Terry (Jason Statham) hears from Martine (Saffron Burrows), an old friend of his, she has a proposal: a high-class bank that’s ripe for the taking. But unbeknown to Terry, her target is not the money but a safety deposit box belonging to Michael X (Peter de Jersey), a Black Power activist and criminal with blackmail photos of the British Royal Family.
The Bank Job is a crime drama based on a real robbery and ensuing scandal that occurred in London in 1971. At the center of its sprawling plot is a straightforward heist that quickly becomes complicated. Terry and his crew unknowingly find themselves at the center of a tangled web involving British intelligence, corrupt cops, a powerful pornographer, a black activist, and a scandal that could rock Britain.
The Bank Job’s strong point is its plot. The early stages of the movie are chaos as all the many pieces are introduced to the board. Picking through the mess of new faces, irrelevant detail, and deception can be challenging. But once the movie gets rolling, the purposes of the individual pieces begin to make sense. The payoff is an intricate, unpredictable, and tense second half that ties up the movie’s many plot threads.
Beyond its plot, The Bank Job is a decent but uninspired heist film. Firmly a drama, The Bank Job opts for realism and a serious tone rather than comedy or spectacle. The movie does a good job of handling tension when it wants to, a reasonable substitute for the lack of real action. The cast does fine work with no real weaknesses, but Jason Statham is the only star the movie brings to bear.
Watch The Bank Job when you are in the mood for a heist drama with an intricate plot. Other entries in the genre are more entertaining with less mental effort, but The Bank Job is put together well enough to be worth a watch when the mood strikes. For a smartly executed comedy with a similar plot, premise, and cast, check out Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels.
7.3 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for a good plot and decent execution.