The Bank Job is a film directed by Roger Donaldson. My bro Dean D. wrote a review of it….Check it:
- Cover of The Bank Job
Is it a true story? Don’t make me laugh. It is as preposterous as it is convoluted. It DERIVES from something that went on in London in 1971: a bank robbery about which British journalists swiftly stopped reporting. Presumably the robbery was meant to benefit the royal family after the escapades of Princess Margaret: privacy-invading, erotic photographs and all that.
Directed by Roger Donaldson, the film is a quite enticing caper-thriller starring Jason Statham and Saffron Burrows, and, no, it isn’t the brief shots of nudity (Princess Margaret’s!) that make it enticing. Or, er, it isn’t merely that.
It has more to do with fast editing and dialogue and a fun, interesting cast. But, oh, is it preposterous!
Do I dare congratulate screenwriters Dick Clement and Ian La Fresnais?
I ask because I must advert to something else in their crazy script. Statham plays a thief married to a nice, attractive woman. He and his mugs rob the bank, and Burrows, an accomplice, goes along for the ride. Eventually she and Statham share a passionate kiss, and not long before the movie ends, Statham’s wife realizes she has been cheated on.
Does she leave the man? No. She gets angry, but she speedily accepts what he has done, ALL he has done. Statham smiles at her and she at him. In other words–we’ve seen it plenty of times before in the movies–a man’s wife has to eat manure. Period.
I hardly find this respectable and I am more of a fan of Saffron Burrows than of Susan Faludi.
The effect of the movie is really awesome. It’s kind of an action movie. The stunts are great as well as the actors. The movie may just be a derivation from a journalist to a bank robber but the movie itself has its originality.
But did you enjoy it? : )
I haven’t seen it yet. I was a fan of the “Transporter” series – they were a bit silly but fun to watch. Well filmed, fast moving, over-the-top action scenes and some eye candy too.
Having said that, I rented Crank (the second one, I think) and couldn’t watch more than about 20 minutes. I watched RockNRolla the same weekend, and although I made it through to the finish I felt that I had lost some IQ points.
Maybe I need to be in a certain mood for these disposable type of movies. Or maybe I’m just getting old…
So glad to read some amazing reviews about this one. Thanks so much for sharing this here; be back for more readings.
Hmmm… these things are difficult, never that high quality acting but I agree, the Transporter series was strangly compelling…
Haven’t seen it yet but I’ll try and see it for myself. I’m a fan of fast-paced action movies, it keeps my adrenaline rushing. Thanks for the review of this movie, at least you gave us an idea what to expect before watching this film. Keep sharing other great posts. More power!
The effect of the movie is really awesome. It’s kind of an action movie. The stunts are great as well as the actors. The movie may just be a derivation from a journalist to a bank robber but the movie itself has its originality.
Jason Statham is the man! I watched Snatch and I was hooked for life!