Seen on: March 7, 2008

The players: Director: Roger Donaldson, Writers: Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais, Cast: CJason Statham, Saffron Burrows, Stephen Campbell Moore, Daniel Mays, James Faulkner

Facts of interest: Donaldson also directed "The World's Fastest Indian."

The plot: Based on a true story, the film follows a gang of robbers who break into a London bank and stumble across some unexpected secrets.  

Our quick thoughts: “The Bank Job” has a lot of class. Unlike many crime thrillers that spend most of the plot setting up a flashy, ultra-complicated plan to break into a casino or a bank vault, this movie actually sets enough time apart to develop its characters AND tell an intriguing story. Based on a true event, “Job” is set in London in 1971, and follows a group of semi-professional robbers who break into the Lloyds Bank on Baker Street.

Roger Donaldson, whose directing credits include “Dante’s Peak,” “Thirteen Days” and “The Recruit,” has created yet another sleek thriller with a fast-paced plot that keeps the audience solidly entertained for nearly two full hours. The heist itself only takes up about half of the movie’s running time, but once the gang is in the vault and stumbles across some perilous secrets hidden in safe-deposit boxes, the real game begins. And with it, the level of action shoots up considerably, the plot welcomes a handful of chaotic twists, and the characters are given enough time to prove their skills and face unexpected obstacles.

While the script is not flawless, it’s fairly easy to follow. The film’s several subplots introduce a horde of interesting characters, but they are all directly tied to the main story line. The many twists clearly lack plausibility, but the end result is quite simply fun to watch. Donaldson’s edgy direction, a clean editing, a great soundtrack and a committed cast make the movie work on many levels. “The Bank Job” provokes enough laughs, builds up enough suspense, and features enough simple, yet gripping action sequences that should keep every interested cinemagoer happy.

Jason Statham, of course, is the perfect actor to take over the lead role in crime thriller. Over the past years he established himself a remarkable career as the tough guy who’s good at deceiving people and beating them up, and although some of his films just don’t get passed the level of mediocrity, he always looks good at what he’s doing. This time, he offers yet another energetic performance as the clever and honest team leader. Saffron Burrows, Daniel Mays, James Faulkner, Richard Lintern and Alki David round out a solid cast.

Freaky quote: "The whole point in having a safe-deposit box is so that people like you don’t know what’s in it.” – Sharon Maughan

The final word: Silly action and sparkling humor are abundant in “The Bank Job,” a great evening diversion for all those who have a thing for heist flicks but have had enough of all those Danny Oceans for a while. This job is a little rougher, but it’s just as refreshing and exquisitely entertaining.