One is always wary when “inspired by a true story” appears on the screen, but the makers of this 1970s throwback heist film have little to be ashamed of as its fantastic.
It may be true or fictional but they’ve made a great film that really deserved to have been seen more and it has Jason Statham in a role that’s not typical of the actor.
Family man Terry Leathers (Jason Statham) is trying to stay on the straight and narrow, but his car dealership is failing and he owes some money to some local villains. When some thugs come by and smash up some cars he’s in the mood to make some fast cash.
In steps his old girlfriend Martine (Saffron Burrows) who knows of a local bank whose alarm is going to be turned off for a weekend due to some technical difficulties. In the need of cash, Terry gathers some of his chums, Kevin (Stephen Campbell Moore), Dave (Daniel Mays), Bambas (Alki David), and Guy (James Faulkner), to pull off the heist.
Terry thinks that since they’re not really bank robbers that they have a better chance of pulling it off. Martine also insists on going along on the raid. What isn’t known is that Martine was busted for drug possession and contacted her pal Tim (Richard Lintern) who is with MI-5 (or is it 6? Who knows they all go to the same tailor). He got her out of hot water but asked that she do him a favor.
In the bank that they’re robbing is a safety deposit box containing some rather compromising photos of a certain royal personage doing some naughty things involving a least two other people.
What the hapless criminals don’t know is that the holder of those photos, the radical black leader Michael X (Peter de Jersey), was put onto the bank by porn king Lew Vogel (David Suchet) who keeps his ledger of illegal doings there as well. These two underworld villains will stop at nothing to get back their illegal materials.
Did the Lloyds Bank on Baker Street get robbed in a daring weekend robbery in 1971? Yes. Were there compromising photos of a naughty royal? That’s where the story might get a bit shady. What is interesting is that the British government issued a D-Notice, or Defense Notice, that kept the rather typical sounding robbery out of the newspapers and media and sealed the files till 2054.
That immediately gets the eyebrows raised that makes the events portrayed in the film seem like a possibility. Supposedly the filmmakers had an inside source that says so, but we won’t know till 2054 (if we’re still around).
To be honest when I saw the poster for the film I thought another Jason Statham actioner and really didn’t give it a second thought. What a mistake that was. The film turns out to be more of a period piece and not your typical Statham film.
He does get to kick the crap out of someone later in the film, but for the most part the film is a character study. To that end the filmmakers have cast the supporting roles with some great supporting players, as the filmmaker’s say that London has a plethora of them.
The roles have been perfectly filled and the film is a fantastic look at the time period. True or not, they’ve crafted a fine, sophisticated thriller to explain both the robbery and the D-Notice.
The Bank Job is presented in a 1080p high definition transfer (2.35:1). Special features include a commentary with director Roger Donaldson, Saffron Burrows, and composer J. Peter Robinson. Of the following only the 2-minute theatrical trailer and 6 minutes of deleted scenes (with optional commentary) are in high definition. The 16-minute “Inside the Bank Job” is about the making of the film.
The 15-minute “The Baker Street Raid” is an eyewitness account of the 1971 robbery and the era. There are also previews for other Lionsgate films. Disc two contains a digital copy that you can download to your portable device or PC.
The Bank Job is a fantastic film that sadly appeared to be overlooked at the box office. It was robbed I tells ya [insert rimshot here]. Now Blu-ray and DVD give you the chance to discover this sleeper.
The Bank Job is now available at Amazon . Visit the DVD database for more information.
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