The Bank Job DVD: Review By Dodd

What has become of the heist film today? It almost seems like Hollywood had made breaking into a highly secured area look like an easy thing today. Being that we are so spoiled today with technological advances, these advances are projected in recent films about the camaraderie of theft. It seems that whenever there is a highly secured lock to crack, it is simply of matter of hacking into the mainframe computer using an I-Pod-like device. What if this doesn't work? Luckily most thieves come prepared with a steel-cutting laser pen that will cut through anything. Now I cannot name a specific heist film that actually replicates these actions, but they are certainly what flow through my head when I think of recent heist films. With technology being so ubiquitous, most screenplays rely on it for an easy fix. I think that cinema needs more films in the heist genre in which characters rely more on brains and brawn rather than bytes. This is precisely why The Bank Job is one of the more entertaining films I have seen this year.

Jason Statham plays yet another badass with a badass name, Terry Leather. However, this time the actor sticks to the film's 1970s setting and refrains from bare-chested fights and adrenaline-fueled gunfights. Terry is a working class London gent with a family, but he also has a criminal history. Martine (Saffron Burrows), a beautiful woman from his past, knows just about Terry's times of yore and comes to him with a job offer. If Terry can assemble an ideal crew of thieves, then Martine will present them with flawless plan to rob a room full of safe deposit boxes containing a fortune in possessions. However, what Terry and his men do not know is that Martine has ulterior motives for the heist that involve corrupting the royal family.

Being that Terry is not aware of these motives, he assembles an eclectic group of men including old chum Kevin (Stephen Campbell Moore), sleazy porn star Dave (Daniel Mays) and elderly gentleman Guy (James Faulkner). Their plan is a simple one: assemble the gang into the basement of a nearby building and dig a tunnel that leads directly into the safe deposit box room. The gang are in for a big surprise when they discovery that the government and a slew of bad people will stop at nothing to ensure that the contents of certain deposit boxes do not reach the streets of London.

The Bank Job was not a film that was built up as a typical Jason Statham movie upon its release. There was no large-scale marketing campaign that capitalized on Statham kicking ass and taking names. Instead the film was promoted for what it is, which is a classy heist picture that is based on a true story that pays homage to films of the same genre from the 1970s. Perhaps it was the lack of turbo-charged action that made viewers not so interested in the picture, but this is precisely why I loved this film. Instead of thieves with gizmos, we get real men who are forced to do things the hard way without technology. These are characters that physically dig a tunnel under other buildings to get at a room full of riches. They are working class, average guys who don't want money to fuel their already-lavish lives. Instead they need the money because they are broke off of their asses and need to get by somehow and someway. The fact that these characters are so normal actually makes them easy to empathize with. These are average Joes who are working hard for their pay. Therefore, the suspense in the film is quite effective once these characters become embroiled in the true motives behind this heist. As the audience, it is hard not to relate to the bewilderment that these characters feel when they come to the realization that they have gotten into something extremely deep.

The main selling point on this film is its well-written screenplay and nostalgic direction from Roger Donaldson that harkens back to classic British heist films. But due credit does go to Jason Statham for tackling this role. It is not exactly a complete change from the British actor's usual turns as a leading badass. However, he does keep his bad boy routine at a more subtle level which benefits the film.

The DVD contains a couple of featurettes. The first is your basic doc*mentary that discusses the making of the film, but this one rises a foot above the rest. The most interesting part of this is listening to the writers and filmmakers from London who actually remembered reading about the heist in the 1970s and the research they did to base the film on the facts. The true story is discussed in even greater detail in the must-see The Baker Street Raid. This is specifically about the heist itself and not the film, and collects interviews from London historians, journalists, and real life parties involved in the incident, including the ham radio enthusiast who heard the thieves communicating on radio and actually recorded their conversations. Finally, there is an eclectic mix on the commentary track that consists of director Roger Donaldson, star Saffron Burrows, and composer J Peter Robinson. It starts out with heavy discussion, which includes Donaldson questioning Burrows about how she became involved in the project. Once this is out of the way, the contributors seem a little lost for words.

The DVD also includes deleted scenes and a second disc containing a digital copy for transfer onto electronic devices.

Widescreen. Roger Donaldson (Thirteen Days) is right on the money in capturing the 1970s era. This isn't just a film that captures the era, but it almost has the gritty feel of a heist film from around the same time period.

5.1 Dolby Surround. The film has a nice combination of suspenseful scored music along with a rocking soundtrack that defines the era.

There are two discs that come in a standard keep case that illustrates Statham on the cover front and center.

The Bank Job is a film well-worth renting and even purchasing. This is an old-school heist film that does not rely on gadgets and gimmicks to make it cool. Director Roger Donaldson throws no punches in this funny and thrilling crime flick that had me on the edge of my seat. This is definitely one of the most entertaining films I've seen this year and I highly suggest that film buffs seek it out.

dodd@movieweb.com