TheBank Job
is a UK film released in 2008 and directed by Roger Donaldson. It stars Richard
Lintern, David Suchet, Stephen Campbell Moore, and Saffron Burrows, with the
main protagonist superbly portrayed by Jason
Statham.
Roger Donaldson is an Australian-New
Zealand director already known for his UK based films such as The Bounty (Anthony Hopkins, Mel Gibson)
and Smash Palace (Bruno Lawrence).
His share of Hollywood notables include The
Recruit (Colin Farrell), Dante’s Peak
(Pierce Brosnan), and Cocktail (Tom
Cruise).
Thus, with this caliber of directorship,
it’s no surprise that Bank Job would
turn out to be a terrific run-for-your-money bank heist and political
conspiracy movie with enough action to keep you at the edge of your desktop.
The movie is actually a speculative account of a bank robbery at a Lloyd’s Bank
branch on London’s Baker Street back in 1971. Amazingly, not a single bank
robber was ever brought to justice, in spite of much overwhelming evidence.
The actual bank heist and the background
behind it would seem like something out of a Sherlock Holmes mystery combined
with America’s Watergate. However, unlike Watergate, the British government
took all pains to squash everything to silence instead of going for justice.
Jason Statham and his men have been
conned by an underworld-connected model (Saffron Burrows) – herself being
conned by British secret service – to commit an underground tunneling bank
heist. The objective is a safety-deposit box containing revealing pictures of a
British princess having sex with a pair of black studs in the Caribbean. The
pictures are being kept by a notorious black underworld figure for eventual
blackmail purposes.
Unfortunately, the successful bank heist
turns out more trouble than just the photos, money, and jewelry. Burrows and
Statham discover that they also have in their possession an account book owned
by a London vice criminal (David Suchet) containing records of bribes to police
and politicians. Also in the mix are compromising pictures of civil servants
and politicians owned by a known brothel owner.
Thus, the somewhat hapless crooks find
themselves pursued – not by the police – but by MI5, British secret service,
criminal gangsters, and other hired bogeys, including members of the Royal
Family. From here, the film races with
the speed of a rush hour train, with the action sometimes lolling between
exciting and bloody. Would you expect any less from a Jason Statham film?
The Bank Job is a must-see film for enthusiasts of classic movies and action films.
