The Bank Job (2007)

The Bank Job. Film review. I love heist films. They're usually smart, well constructed, and more importantly to a film, engaging. Usually doesn't mean always, tho' but i think that at this time of age, no producers would be so stupid to get a half-baked heist films released anyway.

The Bank Job differs than most other heist films in a way that it wasn't just a heist, get in, get out, all done, Ocean's way. The get in, get out, all done part was done halfway. The best part in this film was the pissed customer. Actually, make that customerS that made the plot thickens and spawned several subplots within. Terry Leather (Jason Statham) has been approached by Martine Love (Saffron Burrows) for a heist job in a bank. However, Martine was hiding something. She was sent by the MI-5 for her previous reputation to retrieve a content in a deposit box #118 in the bank. The deal was, she retrieves the content, and gets to keep the rest. Or so she had thought. Terry and his team, assembled in short notice, went in, get the job done, and get out. But along with deposit box #118, there are quite few others (which was an understatement in itself) deposit box 'accidentally' looted and some of the owners to these deposit boxes weren't happy about it.

For a year that has been gone very wrong in film although it has come to the month of April, The Bank Job provides a fresh breath of air (although the film was actually copyrighted in 2007). With rehashed idea of a heist, based on a true story, the film incorporates many entangled plots were The Gang had to put up and play a game of cat-and-mouse against The Police, The Government, and The Villain (these were how they billed in the end credit). It's not on how they pulled the heist, it is how they entangled the rope they tied in after the heist. Therefore, it won't be any red herrings thrown in or a flashback scene to wrap the "how they did it". If you're looking for Ocean's heist, this is not it. Added to that, the film's pace was tight and fast. You won't get any chasing sequence, or any other recipe for a typical heist film but you'd get your adrenaline pumping nonetheless. And as you can read it for yourself, i liked this film. Make that my second 'good experience' in the year 2008 after Cloverfield as it was a thrill ride right since the beginning.

I've been a fan of Jason Statham ever since Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels which is his very first film. Although his recent decision to work with Uwe Boll wasn't get that much of love (and one i'm not really looking forward to see in any foreseeable future), he's somehow still my main dude. In this film, he was easily fitted into the role of Terry. He was identifiable right away as a leader. He is competent, composed, and his men were always looking up to him. And unless for the two-second obligatory love scene somewhere in the middle, he doesn't make any "dumb" mistake.

On the last note, the film's first ten - twenty minutes contains many many nudity. Full frontal and all (which i figured, would made it really unpleasant experience to see it in our local theater). So for you uncomfortable with film's nudity, consider yourself warned.