A cheerful, energetic, and completely entertaining movie, The Bank Job follows some small-time hoods who think they've lucked into a big-time opportunity when they learn a bank's security system will be temporarily suspended--little suspecting that they're being manipulated by government agents for their own ends. The result is that the movie doubles its pleasures: While the robbery itself has the usual suspense of a heist film, when the robbery is over the hoods find themselves being hunted by the police, the government, and brutal criminal kingpins who were storing dangerous information in a safety deposit box. The Bank Job won't win any awards, but it's enormously fun. Director Roger Donaldson (No Way Out, Species) propels the action along with vigor, editing zippily with perfect clarity among multiple storylines and various colorful characters. Jason Statham (Snatch, The Transporter), as the leader of the bank robbers, successfully steps away from his usual bone-crunching roles to a more human presence. The rest of the cast--including Saffron Burrows (Deep Blue Sea), Keeley Hawes (Tipping the Velvet), David Suchet (Poirot), and many faces familiar from British film and television--give their characters the right degree of personality and flavor without getting fussy or detracting from the headlong rush of the story. A little sex, a lot of action, a sly sense of humor, and a twisty plot; if more movies had these basic pleasures, the world would be a happier place. --Bret Fetzer
| Audio
Tracks: |
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English
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| Subtitles: |
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English
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Spanish
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| # Discs: |
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1 |
| Run Time: |
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111 minutes |
| Other: |
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NTSC
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ok flik
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November, 30, 2008
Statham is always great, but this movie was slow and boring. The only good part is that its a true story. And the English accents drove me crazy.
If you want a great movie, its not this one. Watch Street Kings!!
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Surprisingly exciting
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November, 29, 2008
I didn't know anything about this film prior to seeing it other than that it was based on a true story about a group of English petty criminals who decide to tunnel beneath a bank in order to rob safe deposit boxes. The heist is the idea of a woman played by Saffron Burrows, who has a specific and ulterior motive for wanting to rob a certain safe deposit box.
Jason Statham shows that he's grown as an actor in this one. He's moved beyond simply scowling and karate chopping people in the windpipe. His crew members are distinct and colorful, and they are extremely likeable despite their criminal acts.
This film isn't fancy. It's a sad story told simply and in straightforward fashion. It's not as polished as The Italian Job or as smarmy as Ocean's Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen. It's a no-frills tale that will leave you wondering at the lengths people will go to for wealth and to save their skin when they get in trouble.
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Sexed up, but still boring
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November, 25, 2008
The Bank Job has more nudity and blatant semi-porn than any movie I've seen in a while. Unless you're a thirteen year old male, or want to watch porn without the stigma of actually having to rent it, you might find this movie a bit boring. I'm all for period pieces that are free from cliched car chases, violent shoot-em ups, or two-dimensional characters, but sadly this movie lacks the former but without the compelling plot of a true drama. There is a haphazard quality to the film. At times I was expecting it to go the direction of Oceans 11 and be a 'lovable set of criminals' movie where each character contributes their set of skills to accomplish a goal; a sort of criminal 'magnificent seven.' The Bank Job starts down that path, but then abandons it in mid stream.
Aside from Jason Stratham's character, all of the criminal gang are faceless and pretty unremarkable in the end. There is little likability among them. Also, the stakes feel fairly low until near the end of the film, when they are jacked through the roof, contributing to the unbalanced quality of the narrative flow. Most importantly, one of the best plot elements is left relatively unexplored: the story of a female MI5 agent who has infiltrated a domestic terrorist organization. Deeper examination of her story would have provided a very interesting parallel to the main action.
This is a busting at the seams steam fest with crud loads of gratuitous sex, nudity, and titillation, but with very little real substance. If you want a cleaner alternative, check out Flawless. If you want a more traditional, more action packed heist movie, watch The Italian Job. If you want something in the middle, there is always The Thomas Crown Affair.
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