The Bank Job tells the story of a group of friends who rob the vaults of a bank in London. Terry played by Jason Statham is approached by an old friend, Martine, played by Saffron Burrows who claims to know someone in security who has told her that due to a problem with the trains setting the alarms on they will not be on for awhile. He soon persuades his friends to join in with the robbery. What they do not know however is that Martine's friend does not work in security. He actually works for the Government and wants them to retrieve damning photos of a member of the Royal Family from Michael X, a troublesome Jamaican activist.
The robbery goes ahead but not without its problems and they manage to get away. However things get nasty when it emerges that a Soho porn king/gangster also has incriminating evidence in the vault and things turn nasty as he tries to get it back.
The Good:
The script is based on a true story which always makes interesting viewing. It briefly made headlines and then disappeared due to a Government D notice, gagging the press for 30 years. This gives the film an air of mystery about it as we know we are watching things the Government and police would prefer us not to know about and a bit of scandal involving the Royal Family is always a winner and this (apart from Jason Statham) is what I think will mainly appeal to American audiences as they always seem interested in things to do with the British Monarchy.
The characters are fun and well liked. Jason Statham is in a role he seems very comfortable with. It is rather similar to the parts he had in Lock Stock and Snatch which had a down to earth realism about them. There are some rather heart warming scenes between him and his little girls including one where he is dancing with one at a friend's wedding. We do also get to see him in action as well and although his character is likable he still has that manly quality that appeals to both male and female audiences.
The other characters are also good, particularly the rather comedic Dave played by Daniel Mays and Saffron Burrows is well cast as a former model who gets caught up in scandal.
The film has a fun retro feel taking us back in time to 1970s London and its T-Rex theme tune will instantly catch you.
There are some pretty tense moments mixed in with some pretty good one liners that make the movie what it is. It isn't overly violent or over the top nor is it a comedy but what we do get is pretty well balanced.
The Bad:
As much as we love to see Jason Statham's fight scenes the one in this seemed a little silly as he was fighting someone a lot bigger than him and it was as if it was written in the film just because of who he is. There will be those on the other hand of cause who don't care who he was fighting, again because of who he is.
There was a sex scene between Jason Statham and Saffron Burrows cut from the film. This wouldn't have been a problem really if it hadn't been for a scene later on in the film when them having sex is referred to and the audience is meant to assume it happened after a kiss which we do see.
My View:
All in all The Bank Job is an enjoyable film which works well on many levels. It is pretty much a man's film but is not overly violent enough to put women off who will be attracted to the drama and scandal as it is a true story.
