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Sporting complex consequences
for a relatively straightforward plot, The Bank Job remains intriguing
throughout as each set-up leads to ever more suspenseful twists
for the likeable group of ragtag antiheroes. Over-thorough character
introductions cause a slower build in the early stages of the heist,
but such complications likely arise from fewer liberties taken with
the “based on a true story” events, and the result is
a fascinating look at criminals, the corrupt, and those least guilty.
It is 1971 in East London and a fateful bank robbery begins to take shape. In order to remove the threat of radical gangster Michael X, government officials devise a plan to rob a bank on Baker Street and retrieve damning photographs from his possession. To keep the heist untraceable back to them, an independent group of thieves, led by car dealer Terry (Jason Statham) and the cunning Martine (Saffron Burrows), are unwittingly thrown into a deadly battle against corrupt officials and London’s criminal underworld. Jason Statham isn’t your typical leading man, yet ever
since Guy Ritchie’s early films he has managed to keep coming
back with bigger and better roles and is now thought of as an
action film star. However it’s here, in darker thrillers,
that he finds a more sincere presence, especially as thief and
scoundrel Terry. Each moral flaw creates a more dimensional character,
and one worth rooting for. |
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The language of the
film is genuinely intriguing, as it captures wonderfully wry British
slang. Cheeky sod, 12-inch mutton dagger, a bit of bother, usual
skullduggery and things turning a-custard are but a few of the verbal
jousts that occur between the main characters. Devoid of euphuisms,
these apparently authentic words make the dialogue a particularly
potent piece of the puzzle.
The entire subplot about Michael X and his blackmailing of the British government is useful in its supposed tie to facts, but as filmed scenes in the movie, they are hardly necessary. Photographs of a princess caught in the act of promiscuity are at the root of the blackmail plot, which then goes on to include further damaging materials from Sonia Bern’s brothel, also of factual importance, but equally unnecessary in the film. Michael X’s involvement could have been entailed in a briefing by the 506 crew, who spill out the usual generic explanations of villains, and even Bern’s entanglement could have been narrated through the details of the photos. While most of these moments have their entertainment value, essentially they serve to drag out the film’s running time. They say truth is stranger than fiction, and The Bank Job definitely falls into that category. Pimps, thieves, spies, and government officials all collide in a robbery gone right and then terribly wrong, lending the inquisitive to ponder over how much (or little) is fabricated in this thriller. The robbery itself is merely the setup to an intricate conclusion, even though the film takes time to create plenty of suspense throughout the not-so-carefully planned heist. Though the people making demands continually change, our attention is always seated with Jason Statham’s unusually intense performance. When the credits roll and the explanation that “the names have been changed to protect the guilty” flashes onscreen, we realize what a delightfully flourished yet entertaining tale of “doing the wrong thing” The Bank Job really is. - The Massie Twins |
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