The Bank Job

I love this movie. Watching incredibly stupid people do incredibly stupid things inevitably makes me feel smarter, which I could always use. And it's a true story, no less. And a period piece. I feel the smarts already.

Not only that, virtusoso director, Roger Donaldson purposely made it visually challenging, bringing to mind those times when I was a kid and I spun around and around in the backyard to try to keep my balance while I was dizzy in order to build up my resistance to nausea, vertigo, and the effects of Elmer's glue.

Donaldson's definition of tension is apparently sweeping the camera around while adding heartbeats to the soundtrack, which, of course, is there to remind us to be thrilled.

Oh, and there's also this touching sub-plot about some groupie/spy in Trinidad, who gets shot, which makes me feel sad for no particular reason other than the brilliantly manipulative soundtrack and the extras crying over her dead body.

Sad and smartly flawed characters. I guess you could call The Bank Job a tragedy of a film.

The Bank Job: 5/10