Plot: What’s it about?
Terry Leather (Jason Statham) is a small time hoodlum, but his criminal ways haven’t paid well and loan sharks are soon to take over his small automobile sales lot. So when an old flame named Martine (Saffron Burrows) approaches him with a foolproof plan to rob a bank, he ignores his instincts and considers the heist. He soon assembles a motley group of cohorts to assist him, with the promise of a large payout to each one involved. Martine’s plan sounds to good to be true for a reason however, as it is. She is being forced by high ranking police officials to arrange the robbery, in order to allow her to steal some sensitive photos of a member of the royal family. Can Terry and his bumbling partners even manage to pull off the heist and if so, will they ever learn the truth about how it came to be?
The Bank Job slipped under my radar in theaters, but I looked forward to the home video release. I had heard a lot of positive word of mouth, so I had solid expectations. As it turned out, the movie was quite good, but wasn’t quite up to the level of praise I had run across. I think because so many awful movies are made these days, when even a decent one comes along, it is so good by comparison, the reactions are exaggerated. I found The Bank Job to be solid fun, a worthwhile way to spend a couple of hours, but I doubt I’ll ever revisit this one. The story is fine and supposed to be based on real life events, but I was never drawn in and tension was minor at best. Jason Statham is passable as always, though never memorable, while his co-stars offer some nice turns as assorted oddball characters. I do think The Bank Job is good fun, but don’t expect much beyond a decent experience. This Blu-ray release isn’t landmark, but it is worth a rental.
Video: How does it look?
The Bank Job is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. I was let down by this visual effort, as the image looks good, but not up to the level I expected. The visual design employs some color tricks and lighting that reduce detail somewhat, but there is also some noise reduction present. That means what should be crystal clear, razor sharp detail has a blurred texture, which is never good news. Even so, detail is passable, but it could have been much more impressive. As I said, colors have been tweaked, but seem to be on the mark for the intended visual presentation. So this looks better than the DVD, but doesn’t measure up to the better Blu-rays transfers out there.
Audio: How does it sound?
I couldn’t ask for a better soundtrack than this DTS HD 7.1 option, so it earns the full five stars. The attention to detail is beyond impressive, even the smallest touches have been given the finest treatment. In even the calmest of scenes, ambient noise is always there and serves to build atmosphere. This holds up even the most action driven scenes, so they’re not just loud, as the audio is so well designed and executed. I’ve heard more powerful soundtracks, as this movie isn’t action oriented, but this is still one of the better overall soundtracks I’ve heard. This release also includes a French language track, as well as subtitles in English and Spanish.
Supplements: What are the extras?
All of the extras from the standard release are here, including audio comments from director Roger Donaldson, composer J. Peter Robinson, and star Saffron Burrows. The session proves to be laid back and rather candid, a welcome change from the self promotion found on most tracks these days. This release also includes two brief featurettes, some deleted scenes, and the film’s theatrical trailer. The second disc is a standard DVD with a digital copy of the movie, for you to download and use on whatever portable device you prefer.
