The Bank Job

The Bank Job (Jason Statham, Saffron Burrows) – The only heist movies released in recent year have been the Ocean’s trilogy so I was really looking forward to this film based on a true story.  For the first hour, this is really a snoozer, due mainly to the ponderous time it takes to set up the bank job.  But once the ragtag robbers get into the vault, the action begins, and the movie becomes both interesting and enjoyable.  The mastermind here is Terry Leather, played by the familiar, if not superstar, Jason Statham (Cellular, The Italian Job).  Leather is a good family man who sells high-priced sports cars, but he has a checkered past as a small-time criminal.  The set-up artist is beautiful Martine Love, played by the exquisite Saffron Burrows (Reign Over Me, and TV’s Boston Legal).  The rest of the cast is unknown and that’s part of the movie’s appeal.  This has the feel of a typical British action film so it’s not the high-tech, special effects extravaganza American film-makers produce.  But if you are willing to sit through the first half of the movie, you’ll enjoy the second half.