Roger Donaldson, The Bank Job

Photo Credit: Lionsgate Films

by Kathryn Durfee
03/17/2008

No one seems to have learned the cardinal rule of bank heists: there's no such thing as a sure thing! Roger Donaldson's The Bank Job, the "true" story of a London team of villains trying to pull off a major score, starts slow and pays off at the end, but still fails to stand out in the genre.

Terry Leather (Jason Statham) owns a car shop and owes some guy (we only see his crowbar-wielding, leather-overcoat wearing henchmen) a lot of money. When his ex-flame Martine Love (Saffron Burrows) approaches him with a tip from her lover about a local bank and an unwatched vault, Terry thinks his money problems are over. Terry gathers his childhood buddies/fellow hoodlums and con artists and plans the heist. Believe it or not, Martine isn't being entirely honest. She's been instructed to get someone to rob the vault so that she could retrieve some very compromising photographs of a member of the royal family from a safety deposit box owned by Michael X, a leader of the black power movement using the photographs as a get-out-of-jail-free card. Thus, what the boys thought would be free money turns out to be a web of dirty secrets involving them in scandal and (more) crime. Whew. I think I got most of it.

Writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais have done a decent job gathering all of the truths, lies, and rumors to bring this confusing and convoluting caper to the big screen. From what I can gather, the basic premise is true but the details have been fabricated by the writers. With so many characters and intertwining story lines, The Bank Job could have quickly dissolved into an incomprehensible mess. Unfortunately, even with a well-crafted story, the low production values give The Bank Job a made-for-TV feel.

The Bank Job starts slow, trying to set up all of the different facets of the story. But once the film gets going, it bounces along nicely, building up the excitement as all of the information we are being presented with (like the government officials at the whorehouse?) begins to fall into place. Running at almost two hours, The Bank Job reaches a welcome end that sums up the aftermath of the robbery through text rather than more footage.

For a film advertised as a crime thriller with a sense of humor, The Bank Job is short on laughs. Daniel Mays, who plays the bumbling but good-natured Dave, has the only funny lines, which act more as space-fillers than tension-relievers. My major complaint with the script is that it's just not that great, but every heist/caper/crime film has its fair share of cheesy dialogue and crummy lines to bear. The amazing thing about The Bank Job is how quickly it oscillates between great and really shitty.

As for the acting, let's face it. Jason Statham isn't the most talented actor England can lay claim to, but all he ever has to do is grunt, grumble, and throw a few punches. So for a B-movie, why not get one of the best B-actors? Saffron Burrows, previously seen in Troy and Reign Over Me, does a decent job with the limited role provided to her. She's really just there to look beautiful and give the boys her big sad eyes. Likewise, Peter De Jersey, who plays Michael X, is in disappointingly few scenes for being the catalyst of the entire heist.

The Bank Job may be better saved for a rental, but if you're looking for an entertaining movie and an excuse to spend $10, this British caper certainly isn't the worst way to pass two hours. For better of worse, it's failure to truly stand out from similar pics will most likely result in it being quickly forgotten. Sorry Jason, no Oscar for you this year.