The Bank Job Movie Review
Thriller Recounts Infamous Baker Street Robbery
What was the real story behind the 1971 Lloyds Bank robbery in London where thieves took millions from safe deposit boxes and got away with it?
Inspired by a true event that made headlines then abruptly vanished from the public eye, The Bank Job tells the story of how common criminals band together to pull off an extraordinary heist. Unlike the Ocean’s Eleven series, this robbery involves no slick planning, no fancy clothes, no handsome con artists, and no expensive gadgetry – just regular people involved with irregular activities.
The Story Behind The Bank Job
The story begins in the Caribbean in 1970 where a scandalous rendezvous is being secretly photographed. The story then flashes forward a year to East London where those dangerous photographs set off a series of interconnected thefts and murders. Thrown into the mix is Terry (Jason Statham), a shady car dealer with a family to support, his old friend Martine (Saffron Burrows), now a famous model, and an assortment of other friends, thugs, spies, and corrupt cops.
Terry gathers his friends to plan the bank job that Martine suggests; they will dig a tunnel underground that leads directly into the vault while the bank’s security system is down. They hope to walk away with millions of pounds, jewelry, and personal possessions from the heist. Martine, however, secretly works with a UK government agent who wants the contents of one particular safe deposit box in order to avoid an embarrassing scandal involving the Royal Family, and needs a certain photograph returned of a scandalous rendezvous one year earlier.
Lots of Thrills
Although Statham is known for his tough-guy action roles in movies such as The Transporter, War, Crank, and The Italian Job, here he plays an everyday family man with bad business sense, but good survival instincts. This time, Statham rarely gets to flex his bulging biceps, although he still manages to have a menacing screen presence.
Roger Donaldson’s direction keeps the action moving along briskly. There’s plenty of thrilling action at the seedy London strip clubs, with the Jamaican drug dealer (Peter De Jersey) turned black militant, during the tense underground tunneling scenes and at the fast food restaurant next door, and afterward as the various agencies scramble to protect their interests after the robbery has been completed. The story’s elements tie together nicely at the end, and despite many injustices along the way, the ending will steal your heart.
- The Bank Job
- Director: Roger Donaldson
- Run time: minutes
- Rating: R (sexual content, nudity, violence, language)
To learn more about crime dramas, read Crime Drama Detectives, Mad Money Movie Review, and Larry the Cable Guy Returns.
