Statham’s latest starrer is an actioner for grown-ups
By Noelani Torre
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 19:23:00 07/25/2008
Filed Under: Entertainment (general), Cinema
MANILA, Philippines—One of the most interesting things about the heist flick, “The Bank Job,” is that it’s based on something that really happened: Back in 1971, an audacious gang of thieves cleaned out the contents of more than 200 safety deposit boxes in the vault of a Lloyds Bank in central London, making off with cash and jewels amounting to around £4 million.
While the crime and the amount involved were attention-grabbing, what fired the public’s interest then was the fact that the thieves had communicated with each other via walkie-talkies, and that their exchanges had been recorded by an increasingly puzzled radio ham in the vicinity. Dubbed the “Walkie-Talkie Robbery,” the crime was on the front pages of newspapers for days, before the story was suddenly and mysteriously dropped.
Tight and clever
Though some of the perpetrators were eventually caught, much of the loot has never been recovered, making the robbery one of Britain’s greatest unsolved thefts. Director Roger Donaldson and scriptwriters, Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, have added twists and shades to the story—and the result is a tight and clever crime caper whose low-tech look and feel make it even more enjoyable to watch.
The film stars Jason Statham as Terry, a garage owner who owes money to a couple of toughies. Eager to get out of debt, he jumps at the chance to make big bucks when his neighbor, ex-model Martine Love (Saffron Burrows), tells him about what appears to be an easy job—to raid the safety-deposit box vault of Lloyds Bank by digging a tunnel and breaking through the floor.
Plot thickens
Unknown to him and his gang, Martine didn’t recruit them solely out of the goodness of her heart. The thieves themselves are, ironically, the innocent parties in this whole escapade—which, as the plot thickens, is clearly more than just a simple bank job!
A gritty mix of smarts and sweat, with surprising comic moments, “The Bank Job” is an action movie for grown-ups.
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