7 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
A car dealer with a dodgy past and new family, Terry has always avoided major-league scams. But when Martine, a beautiful model from his old neighborhood, offers him a lead on a foolproof bank hit on London's Baker Street, Terry recognizes the opportunity of a lifetime. Martine targets a roomful of safe deposit boxes worth millions in cash and jewelry. But Terry and his crew don't realize the boxes also contain a treasure trove of dirty secrets — secrets that will thrust them into a deadly web of corruption and illicit scandal that spans London's criminal underworld, the highest echelons of the British government, and the Royal Family itself... the true story of a heist gone wrong... in all the right ways.
Starring: Jason Statham, Saffron Burrows, Richard Lintern, Stephen Campbell Moore, Daniel MaysThriller | 100% |
Crime | 81% |
Heist | 25% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English, English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy (on disc)
DVD copy
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
You know what scares me more? Living and dying with nothing to show for it.
Simply stated, The Bank Job is one of the finest movies of the year. It may also be the
best caper
movie yet, thanks to its no-holds-barred approach, not towards the planning of the robbery itself,
which seems to be the focal point of your more standard-fare heist movies like Ocean's Eleven, but
with regard to the consequences of the robbery and the chaos that ensues when more than
money is stolen from the bank. The Bank Job takes us into the trenches and delves into
the nitty
gritty, dirty underbelly when robberies get far too personal and intricate. The repercussions of
the caper are felt throughout the entirety of the upper echelons of London's power elite. The
robbery takes various esteemed Londoners to the brink of chaos and despair, dozens of lives
intertwine, and the stakes are raised considerably for all involved, both in the heist and those on
its periphery. What makes The Bank Job so
spectacular is that it is loosely based on historical fact, although the extent to which the film
retains
fact versus creates fiction is open to debate, as the British government remains tight-lipped over
the actual robbery that occurred on September 11, 1971.
What I learned from Blu-ray #842: Safety deposit boxes aren't safe from Jason Statham.
The Bank Job comes to Blu-ray in a 1080p, 2.35:1-framed transfer that isn't shiny and pristine, but instead presents an image that is true to the gloomy feel of the movie. Although some of the film appears soft, it seems to be intentionally so, setting the mood of the film and the era in which it takes place. Blacks levels are deep and inky and I noted no apparent crushing. Flesh tones often take on an orange tint, but most of the time the issue seems the result of the lighting of the room rather than any issue with the transfer. Detail is only moderate and many scenes feature low lighting and soft edges. The various neon signs on streets and the bricks on façades under them do look very good. The detail improves in better-lit scenes, but as a general rule, the film is mostly devoid of the finest of detail in favor of a soft, somewhat drab, lifeless picture that reveals little in the way of clarity or definition. In general, colors are drab and lifeless. The bleak, scary, unscrupulous nature of the movie lends itself well to a transfer of this style, and what we see here seems to be what the director intended.
The Bank Job pulls no punches on Blu-ray, receiving Lionsgate's tried-and-true DTS-HD MA 7.1 lossless audio treatment. The studio has done it again with a fantastic presentation that is cinematic in its reproduction and truly makes the phrase "home theater" live up to its name. This is an excellent production with fabulous surround activity, encompassing everything from the score to the atmospherics to the action. The viewer is continually encircled for the duration of the film for a wonderful 360-degree listen. Various classic hits play in clubs and over the film with a wonderful presence. The live band performing at a wedding in chapter three provides a highly realistic presentation. The sound is slightly distorted but comes through as it might in real life, which is what I listen for in instances such as this one. The ear-piercing reverberations of the jackhammer digging into the ground is felt throughout the listening area, and it made my skin crawl with its fingernails-on-chalkboard sound, making me shiver throughout parts of the movie, definitely a new experience for me. Blowtorches and other equipment also create a rumble in the track. Bass, as you might expect from these descriptions, is always palpable and ready to shake the media room with some of the finer lows I've yet experienced. Dialogue is crisp and natural, especially important for audiences not used to the thick British accents heard throughout the film. The Bank Job doesn't shortchange Blu-ray listeners, and it oftentimes puts your sound system through its paces and to its limits.
The Bank Job doesn't rip-off Blu-ray fans by skimping on the extra materials. This supplemental set is highlighted by a feature-length commentary track with director Roger Donaldson, actress Saffron Burrows, and composer J. Peter Robinson. While the track isn't a bad one, it isn't all that engaging, either, contributing a fairly standard offering of ideas and background information on the casting, shooting schedule, set locations, and the real-world robbery the film derives its plot from, discussing the accuracy of the appearance of the locations seen in the movie and other fascinating nuggets of information. Inside the Bank Job (480p, 16:44) is a standard feature that showcases interviews with the cast and crew about not only the history of the incident, but the casting, choice of director, and other interesting production facts. The Baker Street Bank Raid (480p, 14:53) is the most interesting feature on the disc, an examination of the crime that took place in 1971, intertwined, of course, with numerous clips from the film but creating a character all its own with archival footage and interviews with historians and other individuals that provide a basic history of the event. This feature should fascinate history buffs. Rounding out the supplements on disc one are several deleted and extended scenes (1080i, 6:15) with optional commentary by Donaldson, Burrows, and Robinson, and 1080p trailers for The Bank Job, Bangkok Dangerous, Forbidden Kingdom, Rambo, War, and Crank. Disc two provides a standard-definition digital copy of the movie for playback on personal computers and portable video devices.
Despite the presence of action star Jason Statham, The Bank Job isn't an action movie, but rather a thinking man's caper with a few minor pieces of action thrown into the mix. You won't see any intricate shootouts, martial arts showdowns, high speed car chases, or other Statham staples, but what you will see is the actor in his element, portraying a deep, motivated, intelligent character who relies on brains over brawn to accomplish his tasks. You'll also see one heck of a movie, a movie that has assuaged the sour taste that one of director Roger Donaldson's previous films, The Recruit, left me with. I believe the Bank Job to be worthy of a few Oscar nominations, and I cannot help but highly recommend the movie. Be aware, however, that The Bank Job is rated "R" for good reason. Plenty of nudity, language, and a few cringe-inducing acts of violence are present in the film. Lionsgate has once again delivered a fine Blu-ray product with The Bank Job. Sporting a video transfer that seems true to the mood of the film, a first-rate audio track, and a welcome supplemental package, I can also highly recommend the Blu-ray disc itself.
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