'The Bank Job' Pays Off

Looking for the next great heist film? If so, look no further than "The Bank Job," because "The Bank Job" is the British heist film that's beginning to rake it in at the box office, and for good reason.

Based on the infamous 1971 robbery of Lloyds Bank in Marylebone, England, one of the biggest heists in British history, "The Bank Job" is an intelligent thriller with a great cast that delivers a clever plot that's so riveting you'll want to come back for seconds.

It's 1971 in East London and Michael X, a radical gangster causing trouble for the British government, is in possession of some compromising photos of a member of the royal family, which he is using to blackmail high-up government officials. To eliminate the threat of the photos being released, the family sets up a heist that entails breaking into the safe deposit boxes of the Lloyds Bank where Michael X has the photos stored. In order to keep the heist untraceable to the government, they work with a woman named Martine Love. She then pitches the idea to a group of small-time criminals, who are at first hesitant to take the job but eventually reconsider, going into action.

The plan is to purchase Le Sac, a leather goods store two units down from the Lloyds Bank, and then to tunnel below the next door eatery and up into the vault of safety deposit boxes. Terry Leather, the leader of the crew, recruits a few new guys and the heist begins. From then, the plot picks up and what seems like the perfect robbery turns into a deadly mess of sex scandals, corruption and murder that has the crew running for their lives.

"The Bank Job" stars Jason Statham ("Transporter," "The Italian Job"), Saffron Burrows ("Deep Blue Sea") and several virtually unknown actors. The main cast of anti-heroes is pretty well rounded and Statham gives a great performance as Terry Leather - surprising, considering his lackluster curriculum vitae.

In "The Bank Job," Statham portrays a likable family man who does a little crime on the side to get along. Statham gives his character depth, showing great promise as an actor, especially in scenes with his wife. With every wrong turn his character takes, Statham makes the part more believable as he has to deal with the repercussions of the crime.

The real credit goes to writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais for their smart handling of the intriguing script. In the trailer for "The Bank Job," the film seems comical and silly; however, with the exception of a comic line here or there, it's not really funny at all. Instead "The Bank Job" is one great ride, which may start out a bit slow for the first half hour, but picks up around the time of the heist and keeps up the pace. It delivers many twists and turns and pays off big in the end.


Grade: A-