Search
Platform Selection
Iron Man vs. Speed Racer: Reloaded.
The Bank Job
The drama, story and acting of the film sum up for quite the worthwhile experience.
Review by Dack
A film coming off smart without being pretentious is such a rare occurrence that I was completely taken by surprise and bombarded when watching The Bank Job. Basically, it's the antithesis of past heist and Jason Statham films. There is rarely humor or action; instead The Bank Job is a very serious, intelligent, layered, but also somewhat confusing film that challenges its viewers.
Based on a true story, the bank job attempts to leave no detail behind. Terry (Jason Statham) owes money to threatening debt-collectors after borrowing money in result of the seemingly failure of his car garage. In what seems to be good timing, a past female acquaintance of Terry's named Martine shows up, offering him the task of spearheading a bank robbery. Because of the unfortunate financial situation Terry is in, he quickly agrees to do it. Gathering a group of friends and outsiders, many of which are petty criminals, Terry assembles a strong team for the heist.
The bank job is arranged rather quickly. The plan is to rent a store next to the bank, make a tunnel in between the two buildings, then break in and rob the safe deposit boxes. What was supposed to be a quick grab of valuables and cash, soon turns into the near literal opening of Pandora's Box when some secret items are obtained from a few of the safe deposit boxes. Now, multiple parties are all connected with Terry's crew, trying to get their said mentionables back, while simultaneously the bank robbers are attempting to keep their loot – and keep alive.
With an enormous amount of characters and plot lines, The Bank Job is anything but a simple movie. Instead of simply trying to be a brain-dead heist flick, it challenges viewers with its many layers. Although at times it can be a tad confusing to keep track of everything that is going on, it's well worth it when you piece everything together at the end.
All of the actors are very strong, with an exceptional performance coming from Jason Statham – finally proving that he has what it takes to be a serious actor in a drama film. A very impressive aspect of the film is that it's set in the 1970s, but it doesn't try to keep blatantly reminding the audience that it is, opting to not use period music constantly. Instead, it relies on a strong clothing selection, filming technique and slight, realistic 70s chatter.
Besides one very cool and short scene at the end involving Statham, there is no action to be found anywhere in the film, which is actually very refreshing. Even though action-junkies may be turned off, people in want of a good story will find a lot to enjoy in The Bank Job.
Perhaps The Bank Job – without over the top action and Guy Ritchie humor – is the direct opposite of what its target audience wants or believes it to be about. But luckily the drama, story and acting of the film sum up for quite the worthwhile experience.
The drama, story and acting of the film sum up for quite the worthwhile experience.
Review by Dack
A film coming off smart without being pretentious is such a rare occurrence that I was completely taken by surprise and bombarded when watching The Bank Job. Basically, it's the antithesis of past heist and Jason Statham films. There is rarely humor or action; instead The Bank Job is a very serious, intelligent, layered, but also somewhat confusing film that challenges its viewers.
Based on a true story, the bank job attempts to leave no detail behind. Terry (Jason Statham) owes money to threatening debt-collectors after borrowing money in result of the seemingly failure of his car garage. In what seems to be good timing, a past female acquaintance of Terry's named Martine shows up, offering him the task of spearheading a bank robbery. Because of the unfortunate financial situation Terry is in, he quickly agrees to do it. Gathering a group of friends and outsiders, many of which are petty criminals, Terry assembles a strong team for the heist.
The bank job is arranged rather quickly. The plan is to rent a store next to the bank, make a tunnel in between the two buildings, then break in and rob the safe deposit boxes. What was supposed to be a quick grab of valuables and cash, soon turns into the near literal opening of Pandora's Box when some secret items are obtained from a few of the safe deposit boxes. Now, multiple parties are all connected with Terry's crew, trying to get their said mentionables back, while simultaneously the bank robbers are attempting to keep their loot – and keep alive.
With an enormous amount of characters and plot lines, The Bank Job is anything but a simple movie. Instead of simply trying to be a brain-dead heist flick, it challenges viewers with its many layers. Although at times it can be a tad confusing to keep track of everything that is going on, it's well worth it when you piece everything together at the end.
All of the actors are very strong, with an exceptional performance coming from Jason Statham – finally proving that he has what it takes to be a serious actor in a drama film. A very impressive aspect of the film is that it's set in the 1970s, but it doesn't try to keep blatantly reminding the audience that it is, opting to not use period music constantly. Instead, it relies on a strong clothing selection, filming technique and slight, realistic 70s chatter.
Besides one very cool and short scene at the end involving Statham, there is no action to be found anywhere in the film, which is actually very refreshing. Even though action-junkies may be turned off, people in want of a good story will find a lot to enjoy in The Bank Job.
Perhaps The Bank Job – without over the top action and Guy Ritchie humor – is the direct opposite of what its target audience wants or believes it to be about. But luckily the drama, story and acting of the film sum up for quite the worthwhile experience.
 |
New on Marvel-Ous
- Iron Man - Movie Review
- Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay - Movie Review
- Flight of the Conchords - Music Review
- The Forbidden Kingdom - Movie Review
- The Ruins - Movie Review
- Opoona - Wii Review
- Lost Odyssey - Xbox 360 Review
- Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates - DS Review
- Horton Hears a Who - Movie Review
- Funny Games - Movie Review
Latest News
Affiliates
