The Bank Job - B

In theaters. Rated R, 110 minutes. Trailer.

Breaking new ground in the heist genre is nearly impossible, and at least The Bank Job knows what it is and doesn't try. The great Jason Statham stars as a charismatic but down on his luck hustler with a chance at a 'perfect score' provided to him by an old (and beautiful) friend (Saffron Burrows). Seems that Michael X (dumb name), a corrupt black revolutionary, is avoiding prosecution in London because he has possession of photos of a member of the royal family in 'compromising' positions. He keeps the photos in the safe deposit box of a bank whose alarm system is broken over a weekend. Saffron knows this and peddles the info to the government when she gets pinched trying to bring drugs back into the country. Click below for more of this review.

She contacts her old buddy Statham to handle the robbery without divulging the real reason for the robbery. He gets his goofy gang together and they start digging and eventually get the loot and the pictures. This unleashes a string of cliched swaps and exchanges, with some interesting twists and manipulations along the way. As with just about everything Statham is in, he is great. His machismo and short fuse are fun to watch, especially as he interacts with the screwy band of robbers and the foxy Saffron. The plot works except for the Miohael X piece, which is not connected well with the main story, and, even seems a little racist. A decent heist film, but it doesn't hold a candle to the recent Inside Man.