Personality Zone

The Bank Job

The Bank Job is a smart comedy-thriller with broad appeal. Inspired by a true story, the movie offers action for Artisans, a satirical smirk at authority that Rationals can appreciate, a celebration of friendship and family loyalty for Guardians, and quirky characters Idealists can have fun with.

Terry (Jason Statham) is a petty criminal who operates a struggling classic car dealership in London. He owes money to thugs who regularly visit his place of business, smash the windows out of his inventory, and threaten that his kneecaps are next. Martine (Saffron Burrows), the old girlfriend of one of his chums, tells him about an upcoming opportunity to rob an underground bank vault while its alarm system is under repair. His share of the take will solve his financial problems and then some. What he doesn't know is that she's recruiting him as a way to get out from under a drug charge. What she doesn't know is that the intelligence agent who put her up to it did so in order to raid the safe deposit box of Black Power radical Michael X (Peter de Jersey). Michael X claims to possess embarrassing photos of a member of the Royal Family; as long as he has them, he is essentially immune from prosecution. Michael X isn't the only member of London society with secrets hidden in the bank vault. It's where a high-class madam keeps compromising photographs of her high-level customers, and a porn king stores his ledger of pay offs to members of the police force.  The working class stiff crooks learn too late that they are way over their heads with this crime when all of the interested parties start exerting what muscle they have into recovering the evidence against them.

Verdict: Don't miss this gem.