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Movies Forum Index » Movie Reviews Forum » Review: The Bank Job (2008)...
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| Homer Yen... |
 Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 11:16 pm |
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"The Bank Job" - Moderate Interest
The experience of watching the heist-flick "The Bank Job" 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 that's
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 today's
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
Spears's nervous breakdowns. However, on the 4th 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 informer's
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 "Ocean's 11". 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, you'd hope that the
film was more kinetic.
Oddly, what transpires on screen doesn't 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 "the story
will incriminate high-ranking police officers, the secret service,
politicians and a prominent member of the royal family." 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. It's just a
shame that the story wasn't more memorably told.
Grade: B-
S: 1 out of 3
L: 3 out of 3
V: 2 out of 3 |
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