The Bank Job

Rating R Formats DVD Genre action Starring Jason Statham, Saffron Burrows Directed by Roger Donaldson Publisher Lionsgate

The Bank Job is based on a true story about the foolproof heist on a bank in London’s West End. The film’s protagonist, Terry, played amazingly low-key by Jason Statham, leads a bunch of his mates into the job of a lifetime. Little do they know they are pawns in a game that goes all the way to the top of the British Royalty.

Terry gets the job from Martine Love (sounds like a Bond Girl) played by Saffron Burrows.  Martine is in deep for drug possession and is strong-armed by a member of MI-5, Tim Everett (a Bond look-a-like) to steal some lewd pictures of a member of the Royal family from said bank.

The pictures are owned by Michael X (so named after America’s Malcolm X). Michael X is an agitator and the British Government is trying to put him away. The pictures keep him out of jail and creating havoc during the time of unrest that was going on in the early 70’s in Britain.

The tangled web is weaved and before you know it our heroes are in the bank and stealing the valuables. Pretty standard bank heist fare, and then the film goes in a direction not expected, but definitely welcomed.

The second half deals with them dealing with the consequences of the haul; Michael X’s photos, photos of prominent members of government engaged in sexual acts as well, a ledger of pay outs to corrupt cops, and about 6 million pounds in money and valuables. The backlash is harsh, unexpected, and turns this standard heist film into something more.

The film is really not that bad. It’s an interesting story about a crazy bank heist that ‘went wrong… for all the right reasons’, as the tag line says. It will keep you captivated from start to finish.

There are three big things that stick out as points of criticism. One, the entire movie is shot at a Dutch angle.  Now, I love a canted camera shot the same as the next guy, but this feels like you’re on a sinking ship. If done properly, the Dutch angle has great affect. If overused, you expect the characters to slip off the screen. (See Carol Reed’s The Third Man)

Two, there are some tone issues, especially in the second half when the body count mounts. People are being brutally murdered left and right but the characters don’t really seem to care. It’s moments like these where you want them to spend just a moment mourning, and then get back to the fun of it.

Three, although the film is an engaging and entertaining story about a heist it lacks a deeper message. There is no thematic approach that takes all of these crazy-but-true events and wraps them up into a cohesive piece with a clear point. Ultimately, the viewer is left with a ‘so what?’ kind of feeling.

The DVD’s special features are deleted scenes, a commentary track, featurettes, and a digital copy of the film for your Ipod (OMG!!!). This film is best rented, for it lacks any re-watch potential because once you know how it ends the beginning seems uninteresting.