Tangled Magazine

THE BANK JOB
A film review by Laura Hartley

4.5 OUT OF 5.0 STARS

Written : Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais
Directed : Roger Donaldson
Starring : Jason Statham, Saffron Burrows, Stephen Campbell Moore, Daniel Mays & James Faulkner

The Bank Job is the true story of the infamous 1971 London “Walkie – Talkie” bank robbery, starring Jason Statham (The Pink Panther, Crank) and Saffron Burrows (Troy, Reign Over Me).

In September of 1971, a group of thieves tunnelled into the vault of London’s Baker St Bank and stole hundreds of safe deposit boxes (and subsequently millions of pounds). No arrests were made, and contents of the boxes were never found. The robbery made newspaper headlines for a few days however then disappeared, thanks to the UK Government (allegedly) placing a D-Notice, and banning the press from any coverage. The Bank Job uncovers what was in the deposit boxes, and what follows is a story of sex, murder and blackmail, entailing the highest of government.

Producer Steven Chasman, who worked with the thieves in creating this movie, said, “One thing that people never think of is what do people put in safe deposit boxes? Sometimes it’s personal keepsakes, but very often, people put things in the box that they don’t want other people to know they have. So, when these boxes got robbed, no-one could come forward because where did they get that money? Where did they get that jewelry? Why are there guns in their boxes?” In the closing credits the film states that the contents of over 100 boxes were unaccounted for, as their owners would not divulge what was inside.

The casting of the film was brilliant, Jason Statham in particular, who allows you to feel sorry for his character, and empathise with him, even though he is committing a robbery.

The film’s opening scenes are a little slow, and it can be a little jumpy, but by the end of the movie you learn those scene’s were necessary. The Bank Job guarantees you to be on the edge of your seat, fascinated by what will happen next, and appalled at the (possible) corruption of the British Government and legal system.

This movie is a must-see, and will have you fascinated for weeks with what really happened.

In cinemas July 31, 2008.