The Bank Job
Based on A True Story
The Bank Job tells the story of a group of friends who take the opportunity to rob the vaults of a bank in London. Terry (Statham) is approached by an old friend (Burrows) who claims to know someone in security who has told her that due to a problem with the trains setting the alarms on they wont be on for awhile. He soon persuades his friends to join in with the robbery. What they don’t know though is that Martine’s friends does not work in security. He actually works for the Government and he wants them to retrieve damning photos of a member of the Royal family from Michael X, a troublesome Jamaican revolutionary.
The robbery goes ahead but not without its problems but they manage to get away. However, things soon turn nasty when it emerges that a Soho porn king/gangster also has incriminating evidence in the vault and things turn violent as he tries to get it back.
The Good
The script is based on a true story with always makes interesting viewing. It briefly made headlines and then quickly disappeared due to a Government D notice, gagging the press for 30 years. This gives the film an air of mystery about it as we know we are watching things that the Government and police would prefer us not know about and a bit of scandal concerning the Royal family is always a winner and this (apart from Statham) is what I think will mainly appeal to the American audience who always seem interested in things to do with our Monarchy.
The characters are fun and well liked. Statham is in a role he seems very comfortable with. It is rather similar to his parts in Lock Stock and Snatch which have a down to earth realism about them. There are also some heart warming scenes between him and his little girls including one where he is dancing with one at a friend’s wedding However we also get to see him in action near the end of the film and although is character is very likeable he still has that manly quality that makes him appealing to both male and female audiences.
The other characters are also good. I’ve read reviews that say Saffron Burrows is wooden but I felt she played her part well and is well cast as a former model who gets caught up in a scandal.
The film has a fun retro feel taking us back to 1970s London and its T-Rex theme tune will instantly catch you.
There are some pretty tense moments mixed in with some pretty good one liners that make the film what it is. It isn’t overly violent or over the top nor is it a comedy but what we do get is well balanced.
The Bad
As much as we love to see Statham’s fight scenes the one is this seemed a little silly as he was fighting someone a lot bigger than him and it as if it was written into the film just because of who he is. There will be those on the other hand who don’t really care who he was fighting, again because of who he is.
There was sex scene between Statham and Burrows cut from the film. This wouldn’t have been a problem if it hadn’t been for a scene later on in the film when them having sex is referred to and the audience is meant to assume that it happened after a kiss which we do see.
My View
All in all The Bank job is an enjoyable film which works well on many levels. It is pretty much a mans film but isn’t violent enough to put off women who will be attracted
Movie details
| Directed by | Roger Donaldson |
|---|---|
| Year | 2008 |
| Starring | Jason Statham |
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