The Bank Job (2008)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Roger Donaldson

Writers (WGA):

Dick Clement (written by) &
Ian La Frenais (written by)

Release Date:

7 March 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The true story of a heist gone wrong... in all the right ways.

Plot:

Martine offers Terry a lead on a foolproof bank hit on London's Baker Street. She targets a roomful of safe deposit boxes worth millions in cash and jewelry. But Terry and his crew don't realize the boxes also contain a treasure trove of dirty secrets - secrets that will thrust them into a deadly web of corruption and illicit scandal.

Plot Keywords:

Bank | Safe Deposit | Pornographer | Murder | Police Corruption

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Jason Statham	...	Terry Leather
Saffron Burrows	...	Martine Love
Stephen Campbell Moore	...	Kevin Swain
Daniel Mays	...	Dave Shilling
James Faulkner	...	Guy Singer
Alki David	...	Bambas
Michael Jibson	...	Eddie Burton
Georgia Taylor	...	Ingrid Burton
Richard Lintern	...	Tim Everett
Peter Bowles	...	Miles Urquart
Alistair Petrie	...	Philip Lisle
Hattie Morahan	...	Gale Benson
Julian Lewis Jones	...	Snow
Andrew Brooke	...	Quinn
Rupert Frazer	...	Lord Drysdale

Also Known As:

Baker Street (UK) (working title)
D-Notice (UK) (working title)
The Bank Job (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Ireland:15A | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #43693) | Portugal:M/16 | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Ontario) | Finland:K-15 | Norway:15 | Malaysia:18PL (cut) | Singapore:R21 | Germany:12 | Brazil:16 | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Australia:MA | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Japan:PG-12 | Denmark:11 | Austria:16 | South Africa:16LV | Singapore:M18 (edited version) | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Aldwych Underground Station, Aldwych, Holborn, London, England, UK

Company:

Mosaic Media Group

Trivia:

Roger Donaldson said one of the most difficult days of filming was when he filmed the brothel scene. The scene called for the women to be walking around wearing only garters. However, Donaldson said that when he went to film the scene he discovered that most of the women shaved their genitals, which would have been anachronistic for 1971. So the actresses had to wear pubic wigs called "merkins." This caused a problem because the merkins were hard to secure in place and kept slipping, causing Donaldson much aggravation.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The two tone police sirens as heard on the film have a distinct Gallic note, and are not the familiar two tone siren used by the Metropolitan Police in the '70s and '80s.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Eddie Burton: [while drilling a mileage meter back] Another Terry Leather low mileage here.

Movie Connections:

References "Pinky and Perky" (1957)

Soundtrack:

History of Jamaica

That'll go nicely with a plate of chips

Film-making at it's finest.

Nothing loud and boisterous. No over-stylized cinematography, pointless set-pieces, cheesy dialogue, or over-flowing emotions.

A perfect example of why the finest movie-making talent in Hollywood is British. And possibly the best caper movie of recent times.

Had this been from Hollywood, every fine detail of the complex subtext in the story would have been blown apart. Instead, everything is under-played, the characters are superbly realistic and believable, and the script sharp as a pin. And the cast is a brilliant ensemble.

Worth many repeated viewings for the subtle humour and to get the most out of the twisting plot developements.