Review: ‘The Bank Job’

Travis:

The Bank Job (2008) was directed by Roger Donaldson [we’ll come back to him in a minute] and stars Jason Statham (Transporter, War) as Terry Leather, a down-on-his-luck luxury car salesman who owes loan sharks money that he borrowed to open his little hole-in-the-wall dealership that sits within an alley of a less desirable area of London. After many failed attempts to find a sure thing, Terry is convinced to take a once-in-lifetime offer from Martine Love, played by Saffron Burrows (Faye Grim, Gangster no.1). Martine enlists Terry and his crew of amateurs onto a massive bank job, but her motives aren’t entirely on the up-and-up. As the group of wanna-be bank thieves works toward what seems to be a successful plan, the true complexity of the situation begins to unfold. Various elements, friendly and otherwise, begin to make their involvement known in ways unexpected to virtually all the parties involved. Terry soon uncovers the truth and must become the sharpest mastermind of a scheme gone horribly wrong on so many fronts. With the assistance of Martine, Terry manages to turn the table and pull the rug out from under the multiple threats they face.

Roger Donaldson is no stranger to this type of very entertaining and well-directed every-man’s movie. This Australian film-maker has repeatedly impressed me in the past with such enjoyable, unpretentious films as The World’s Fastest Indian (2005), The Recruit (2003), Dante’s Peak (1997), Species (1995) and Cadillac Man (1990). Donaldson doesn’t try and impress the viewer, make any statement or prove anything about himself as a film-maker … he simply makes good movies; movies that entertain us without even letting us know he’s there. In addition, its really nice to see Jason Statham in a film that’s not over-run by massively intrusive special effects, as many of his action movies are … even though I’ve enjoyed many of them.

There is one more element of The Bank Job that really intrigued me and that’s the movie’s source material. The Bank Job is actually based on a true story and, as I firmly believe … true stories are often the strangest. So much of what the audience experiences through this film is accented beautifully by the knowledge that what we’re seeing actually occurred, more or less. During the opening minutes, we are told outright that what we’re about to watch is based on a true story, setting up our expectations and giving our suspense of disbelief a slight vacation. I found this similarly effective when I watched Catch Me if You Can (2002), which I thoroughly enjoyed … but, without knowing it was based on an actual piece of history, I would have found the movie ridiculously unbelievable. The Bank Job is less of a stretch that Catch Me if You Can, but the concept still holds true. If you want a good sit-back and enjoy, two hours of worth-your-dollar entertainment, The Bank Job is a safe investment.

(3 out of 5)

Zac:

Roger Donaldson’s latest is one of his more successful filmmaking endeavors that serves as a classic bank heist film that while not doing anything dramatically new still serves as an excellent star vehicle for Jason Statham.
We quickly learn that Terry, (Statham) is an entrepreneur trying to make a big deal to get his family secure and out from under a debt to the types you don’t want to be in debt too. When an old, almost a, flame comes calling for his help, he is asked to round up the old crew to do a one time job that will get Terry free of his troubles and set for years to come. What Terry doesn’t know is that the job isn’t as simple as it seems and certain Royal Entanglements are actually behind the heist revolving around a plot to take out Michael X, a black power fundamentalist that could damage the thrown.
I will not divulge into the plot any further but once everything is set up the film gets pretty straight forward and never to convoluted inside itself, avoiding being over complicated while remaining clever and unpredictable. That said, the heist and film as a whole doesn’t do anything terribly new or interesting for the genre, but it does do everything very well. It has a number of well earned scenes of suspense, a good bit of humor, and a whole fleet of likable characters. We really learn to like these guys in a hurry and are more than anxious for them and their predicaments that they get put in.
Jason Statham is excellent as the heist leader, smart and holding a couple of tricks up his sleeve, he keeps you on your toes and keeps you happy that he is aware of the game and is always getting a leg up on a situation he shouldn’t.
The female lead of Martine is played well by Saffron Burrows with confidence and determination in her goals and you can understand why some of her heist mates get weak in the knees for her. She is an excellent con man and the looks her and Statham toss each other can be brutal.
The rest of the crew also does a very good job as they are all likable and make you care about whether they pull of this heist or not. Daniel Mays deserves special mention for his excellent turn as Dave, who is both funny and real without seeming like a comic relief stereotype.
Another one of the shining points of the film is that the heist isn’t the whole movie, that is only half the story and the story that follows is just as if not more interesting and fun then the heist itself. The only thing that doesn’t work very well is the spy sub plot inside Michael X’s camp, but is necessary to tell this true story. Though, it is by no means horrible, just a little bit above par for the course when compared to the rest of the film.
The Bank Job is a quality crime picture that allows Jason Statham to show off his acting chops. The films pacing and tone is very effective and the films injects humor very well to the proceedings. The only major complaint you can make is that it just falls short of jumping into that Wow level, but nonetheless is a very solid and excellent caper flick for anyone that is a fan of the crime genre.

(4.25 out of 5)

[rating: 3.5/5]