Based on a True Story
URGA MOTW
The Bank Job
Before I start talking about the film, let me heartily recommend Ajisen Ramen on Leigh St - I can't say I've ever been overly fond of Japanese noodle-soups, but these were great :)
Now, The Bank Job!
London, 1970. MI5 (or 6, who can tell them apart?) has got a bit of a problem - leading Black Rights activist and underground criminal boss Michael X can't be convicted of his crimes because he has managed to get hold of some rather risque photos of a royal princess, and the secret service would like them to remain secret.... He keeps the photos in a bank vault safety deposit box - so the spooks hatch a plan - get some thieves to break into the vault and steal them, all under the radar of course so if things go wrong it can't be traced back to the government.
Via old contact Martine Love, Terry Leather (Jason Statham) and a small bunch of amateur criminals get on the job - this is something bigger than what they'd normally pull, and none of them have any idea what they're in for. The vault doesn't just contain compromising royal photos, there's also a lot of people's private cash and jewellery, as well as some fairly damning evidence of certain House of Lords/Whitehall higher-ups and corrupt policemen.
Things get very interesting once they've completed the heist - and then MI5/6, the police, Michael X and other criminal types are now all after them...
I really got lost in this movie - and by that, I mean that I was absorbed in the story and wasn't as detached and critical as I normally am when watching films, generally actively constructing these reviews as I watch a movie. When that /doesn't/ happen, I know it's a good film! (Happened with Mongol as well). I stop thinking about the good and bad points of the filmmaking, and just enjoy the story as it rolls out.
It was obvious in parts where some fictionalisation of the true story had taken place - a lot of very coincidental character reactions - too much interconnectedness in a neat package to be entirely true - but that also made it far more interesting for the audience, putting it all together. The dialogue is well written and not at all heavy-handed - working out the details of the complicated multi-faceted character relationships requires you to pay close attention! The acting is pretty good overall - there's no super high drama, action or comedy here, it's just very very realistic and you can believe these characters are real people. Considering most of them were probably based on real people, that's not so much of a stretch - but very few of the characters are simple two-dimensional stereotypes, all the actors portray the characters as complex people - even if not much about the character's background or traits is developed.
So highly enjoyable, and quite an entertaining tale!
9/10
The Bank Job
Before I start talking about the film, let me heartily recommend Ajisen Ramen on Leigh St - I can't say I've ever been overly fond of Japanese noodle-soups, but these were great :)
Now, The Bank Job!
London, 1970. MI5 (or 6, who can tell them apart?) has got a bit of a problem - leading Black Rights activist and underground criminal boss Michael X can't be convicted of his crimes because he has managed to get hold of some rather risque photos of a royal princess, and the secret service would like them to remain secret.... He keeps the photos in a bank vault safety deposit box - so the spooks hatch a plan - get some thieves to break into the vault and steal them, all under the radar of course so if things go wrong it can't be traced back to the government.
Via old contact Martine Love, Terry Leather (Jason Statham) and a small bunch of amateur criminals get on the job - this is something bigger than what they'd normally pull, and none of them have any idea what they're in for. The vault doesn't just contain compromising royal photos, there's also a lot of people's private cash and jewellery, as well as some fairly damning evidence of certain House of Lords/Whitehall higher-ups and corrupt policemen.
Things get very interesting once they've completed the heist - and then MI5/6, the police, Michael X and other criminal types are now all after them...
I really got lost in this movie - and by that, I mean that I was absorbed in the story and wasn't as detached and critical as I normally am when watching films, generally actively constructing these reviews as I watch a movie. When that /doesn't/ happen, I know it's a good film! (Happened with Mongol as well). I stop thinking about the good and bad points of the filmmaking, and just enjoy the story as it rolls out.
It was obvious in parts where some fictionalisation of the true story had taken place - a lot of very coincidental character reactions - too much interconnectedness in a neat package to be entirely true - but that also made it far more interesting for the audience, putting it all together. The dialogue is well written and not at all heavy-handed - working out the details of the complicated multi-faceted character relationships requires you to pay close attention! The acting is pretty good overall - there's no super high drama, action or comedy here, it's just very very realistic and you can believe these characters are real people. Considering most of them were probably based on real people, that's not so much of a stretch - but very few of the characters are simple two-dimensional stereotypes, all the actors portray the characters as complex people - even if not much about the character's background or traits is developed.
So highly enjoyable, and quite an entertaining tale!
9/10