The Bank Job

Diane and I watched this marvelous movie several days ago on the recommendation of a friend and we were far from disappointed; the movie was a cracker and we both indulged ourselves in a crime movie with out the accompanying Hollywood histrionics of car chases, crashes, fistfights and assorted bloody mayhem to entertain the folks in the Heartlands.Because the story was true and the details of the case even 37 years after the fact are still officially masked, the whole viewing experience is extremely powerful. The movie is of course plot-driven and what a plot it is. It must be hugely difficult for the actors in such a movie because they know, regardless of how well they conduct their acting tasks, the audience will be absorbed in the script and the"what happens next syndrome." However, all the actors in hindsight, did not interject one (at least for me) discernible misstep in their collective performances.The sum total is a movie of sublime excellence that only the British seem to be able to carry off so well. It is in this respect an old fashioned movie, meant only in superlative terms. It is a movie to be savoured in all respects.

Britain's MI-5 stages a robbery of London bank to steal back blackmail photos of Princess Margaret. MI-5 gets hooked up with Martine Love and Terry Leather, played by Saffron Burrows and Jason Statham, who are struggling at the margin between the criminal world and the ordinary world. In time, real gangsters, the Police and MI-5 are all chasing Terry's gang and roughing up each other. The movie is a grand bit of story telling. It is a great cops and robber story with lots if credible twists and turns. This is refreshing because we have all seen too many Hollywood crime pictures that are just too comical and science-fiction like Mission Impossible or Oceans 11+. It's entertaining, and would have been without its irrelevant nudity. This movie is not providing social commentary, or teaching us about history: it is just a fun story that is told well. Kudos to the writers, Clement and La Frendais. The performances are believable especially Jason Statham and Saffron Burrows --although the action oriented story does not test their range. The real star of this movie is the storyline.

I liked the film to start with - bit cheeky, typical London "cops, robbers and gangsters" fare. Then after the heist was done, the tone darkened, uncomfortably so. If it had stayed lighter throughout, I'd have enjoyed it much more. All the actors were fine (I like the fact that you know what you're getting with Jason Statham - you don't *want* him to come across as 'actorly', you *want* him to play the lovable hard-man), the direction was slick, and the film was never boring. Worth a rental when it comes to DVD. One last comment: I know it says 'BASED on a true story', but I can't believe more than the bare bones are in any way factual.