We forget who said it, but a wise person once surmised that the man who robs the bank and the one who runs it are just different kind of thieves. That sentiment lies behind the surprises that animate this spiffy heist flick based upon a famous 1971 Lloyds Bank robbery in London.
Terry (Jason Statham) is a used car dealer who dreams of better days for his wife and family. When an old flame, Martine (Saffron Burrows), contacts him and tells him about a big bank robbery that he can pull off with inside information she possesses, he is skeptical at first. What's the catch, and who has set up the scheme? But greed gets the better of him, and he enlists the support of his buddies Kevin (Stephen Campbell Moore), a photographer, and Dave (Daniel Mays), a part-time porno star. They also enlist the services of several other men, including a con man (Alki David) who can be the front man in a storefront near the bank from which they will tunnel under the bank's room full of safety deposit boxes.
Roger Donaldson directs this fascinating drama which spins a complicated web of crime. Terry and his buddies are excited when they learn that of the treasures in jewels and money stored in the boxes, and that many rich people may not even want to report their losses. What they don't know is that high level wheeler-dealers in the government have planned the heist to retrieve some photographs stored there by Michael X (Peter de Jersey), a gangster and leader of the black power movement in London. Lew Vogel (David Suchet), a porno kingpin, has some politically explosive material in another safety deposit box. And a local madam has some pictures that could cause a political sex scandal. Terry and his band of small-time players find themselves caught in the crossfire between these wealthy and influential men and their many functionaries.
The Bank Job reveals that the secrets of the powerful are worth more than all their money and prized possessions. No wonder privacy is such an important dimension of their lives. And no wonder calls for "full disclosure" can be politically and personally threatening.
Special features on the DVD include digital copy of the film; extended scenes; Inside The Bank Job — making of featurette; The Baker Street Bank Raid — profile on the real bank robbery; theatrical trailer.
