The Bank Job Review
by Homer Yen (homer_yen AT yahoo DOT com)May 6th, 2008
bThe Bank Jobb b Moderate Interest
The experience of watching the heist-flick bThe Bank Jobb is like the experience you feel when going on a slow roller coaster. A lot should be happening, but the thrills are tempered. The energy thatbs inherent in this film never really manages to manifest itself.
The story is based on the true events of a daring bank robbery that took place back in 1971. The target was the vault of a Lloyds of London Bank, and the infiltrators made off with loot worth (in todaybs dollars) 5 million pounds. Nobody was ever arrested and none of the money was recovered. For three days after the event, newspapers vigorously reported on the story with more gusto than Brittany Spearsbs nervous breakdowns. However, on the 4^th day, all coverage in all the newspapers ceased. Why was there a clamp down on the media outlets? Was there a conspiracy afoot?
The film attempts to offer its own explanation by using an informerbs revelation on that unsolved crime. And, there are lots of juicy elements here that do make for a fun film. It stars Jason Statham as an endearing dad who always seems to have a hand in a bit of skullduggery. He thinks that he may have found an opportunity to start anew when a former love interest (Saffron Burrows) re-enters his life and tells him that the security system of a local bank has been temporarily turned off.
He assembles his crew to pull off the improbable caper. And, we are reminded of similar films like bOceanbs 11b. The vault that they enter and the safe deposit boxes that they raid attract the attention and the ire of more than just the inept police force. Now in the mix are spies that work for the MI:6, a local crime lord, corrupt cops, and even a black extremist. With all of that, youbd hope that the film was more kinetic.
Oddly, what transpires on screen doesnbt seem nearly as interesting as what it took to make the film happen. Reading a recent article on a British online newsite (www.guardian.co.uk), I learned that bthe story will incriminate high-ranking police officers, the secret service, politicians and a prominent member of the royal family.b After the robbery, a government gagging order, or D Notice, was imposed to prevent further coverage. There was actually a chance to catch the robbers as a ham radio operator intercepted transmissions between the lookout and the leader who was about to penetrate the vault. When the radio operator called the local police to report the crime, they dismissed him as a prankster and just advised him to tape record the conversation. The conversation, which was transcribed and broadcast on national radio at the time, furnished authentic dialogue for the screenplay.
However wasteful all of the cool film elements are, the film is still a serviceable yarn. Jason Statham, who seems just right for these roles, gets to act more and fight less. The dialogue is colorful, the level of pulp violence is fun, and there is that lingering aura of suspense as you hope that these robbers get away with it. Itbs just a shame that the story wasnbt more memorably told.
Grade: B-
S: 1 out of 3
L: 3 out of 3
V: 2 out of 3
_________________________________________________________________
Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
