Jason Statham returns to his roots with this British crime caper where he plays Terry, a small time crook that is in debt to some bigger crooks. Enter stage left Terry’s old flame Martine (He’s now a married family man, trying to go straight-ish) with a proposal; a simple bank job that is so easy, it’s too good an opportunity to pass up.
But as ‘too good an opportunities’ usually go, there’s more to this bank job than meets the eyes. Martine is on a mission to save her own skin and isn’t after the money in the bank’s safety deposit boxes, but rather some information, far more valuable than money.
What no one realises is the amount of information contained in this banks vault, and whom it belongs to. As soon as the heist is done however, the hapless crew soon discover they’ve opened a Pandora’s box.
It’s refreshing to see Statham put his tough, action man roles on hold and return to a more serious drama. Based on real events, The Bank Job rolls along at a good pace, but rather that car chases and fight scenes, we have a well grounded plot with many twists and turns to keep us in a state of anticipation, never quite knowing what will happen next, or who will come out on top.
Donaldson does a great job in directing this little piece of British history and everything about the film feels right – there’s no gratuitous action or outlandish special effects – though there is some totally gratuitous nudity that seems somewhat superfluous, but doesn’t detract from the movie fortunately. Statham is on form and seems to relish his role, leading a capable cast in this almost old fashioned genre which will have you rooting for the bad guys because, well, they’re actually the most honest people in the movie.
Food for thought: Its human nature to want to keep some things secret, but the thing about secrets is that by hiding them we are actually giving them their power. By refusing to let them go, we waste our energy on the very things that are dragging us down, when if we just fronted up and were honest, we’d be able to move on and enjoy life a whole lot better.
Reviewed by: Jonathan Read. Rating: R16 – Contains violence , offensive language, sex scenes. Duration: 110 mins. Genre: Crime, Thriller, True Story. Director: Roger Donaldson. Actors: Jason Statham, Saffron Burrows, Stephen Campbell Moore, Daniel Mays, James Faulkner, Alki David. Distributor: Paramount. Release Date: August 7th, 2008.
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