The Bank Job
The Bank Job | |
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Directed by | Roger Donaldson |
Written by | |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Michael Coulter |
Edited by | John Gilbert |
Music by | J. Peter Robinson |
Production companies |
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Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 112 minutes |
Countries |
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Language | English |
Budget | $20 million[2] |
Box office | $66.1 million[3][2] |
The Bank Job is a 2008
The producers allege that the story was prevented from being told in 1971 because of a
The premiere was held in London on 18 February 2008, and it was released in the UK on 29 February 2008 and in the US on 7 March 2008. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and grossed $66 million worldwide.
Plot
In 1971, British Security Services (
Martine approaches her friend Terry, a struggling car salesman with criminal contacts, and tells him that if he can assemble the gang to help her rob the bank, he will be richly rewarded, but does not tell him about the photos in the deposit box. Terry's team includes Eddie (one of his employees), Dave, Kevin, Bambas, and Guy Singer. While scouting the bank, Dave runs into gangster Lew Vogel, for whom he made pornographic films.
The gang rents a leather goods shop near the bank, tunnels below the vault, then uses thermal lance to break through the floor into the vault. They loot the safety deposit boxes, but Terry notices Martine's interest in box 118 and discovers the photos. The police are alerted to the robbery by a ham radio operator who overhears the gang's walkie-talkie communications, but by the time they locate the bank, the gang has already fled. The robbery rattles important figures who used the bank, including Lew Vogel, who kept a ledger of police payoffs inside. He notifies Michael X in Trinidad, who deduces Gale Benson— the lover of his associate Hakim Jamal—is spying for MI5, and murders her. Vogel decides Dave’s presence outside that bank was not a coincidence, and has him kidnapped and tortured for information. Dave gives in, and Lew has Gerald Pyke and Nick Burton—two policemen working on his payroll—kidnap Eddie at Terry's garage. Meanwhile, Terry discovers explicit photographs of government officials among their loot and uses them to secure passports and new identities for the gang.
Vogel's men track down and murder Bambas and Guy Singer. Eddie refuses to cooperate with Vogel, who has Gerald execute Dave and threatens to kill Eddie unless Terry surrenders the ledger; Terry agrees to meet up with Vogel at Paddington Station to exchange the ledger. He arranges for the meeting to happen at the same time as he will be picking up the new passports and immunity from prosecution from MI5 and
Vogel's ledger causes Scotland Yard to undergo a major corruption purge in the police force. The activities of Sonia Bern's brothels make several senior officials resign. Michael X is hanged in 1975 for the murder of Gale Benson and his file in the British National Archive remains classified until 2054. Lew Vogel is sentenced to 8 years in prison. Hakim Jamal is murdered in 1973. The murders of both Bambas and Guy Singer are never solved. The loot taken from the robbery consists of £4 million.
Cast
- Jason Statham as Terry Leather
- Saffron Burrows as Martine Love
- Richard Lintern as Tim Everett
- Keeley Hawes as Wendy Leather
- Stephen Campbell Moore as Kevin Swain
- Michael Jibson as Eddie Burton
- Georgia Taylor as Ingrid Burton
- Daniel Mays as Dave Shilling
- David Suchet as Lew Vogel
- Peter de Jersey as Michael Abdul Malik/Michael X
- Gerard Horan as Det. Sgt. Roy Given
- Don Gallagher as Det. Con. Gerald Pyke
- Craig Fairbrass as Det. Con. Nick Barton
- Peter Bowles as MI5 Executive Director Miles Urquhart
- James Faulkner as "Major" Guy Arthur Singer
- Alki David as Bambas
- Colin Salmon as Hakim Jamal
- Hattie Morahan as Gale Benson
- Robert Whitelock as Alfie Hook
- Julian Lewis Jones as Agent Snow
- Andrew Brooke as Agent Quinn
- Sharon Maughan as Sonia Bern
- Alistair Petrie as Philip Lisle
- Rupert Frazer as Lord Drysdale
- Christopher Owen as Lord Mountbatten
- Angus Wright as Eric Addey
- Rupert Vansittart as Sir Leonard Plugge
- Taelor Samways as Catherine Leather
- Kasey Baterip as Julie Leather
- Trevor Coppola as Leonard
- Bronson Webb as Chicken Inn waiter
- Julian Firth as Lawyer
- Mick Jagger as Bank Safe Deposit employee (uncredited)
Historical background
The film is in part based on historical facts about the
The film's producers said that they have a source, identified in press reports as George McIndoe, who was an executive producer.
The fictional character of Lew Vogel may allude to pornographer and racketeer
The introduction of Michael X's character showing him leading a landlord locked in a slave collar is based on a historical incident.[16] A passing glance at a photo of John Lennon found in Michael X's safety deposit box is inspired by Lennon's support for Michael X's "Black House" headquarters depicted in the film, and Lennon posting his bail.[17]
Production
Part of the filming took place on location at the offices of Websters, 136 Baker Street, where the rooftops were used for lookout locations. The exterior scenes of the bank and adjacent shops were done at Pinewood Studios on a specially constructed set of Baker Street, to retain an authentic feel of the period and to allow for greater control. This partial set was extended using visual effects.[18]
The production also shot on location inside the
Reception
Critical response
The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 80% of 148 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Well cast and crisply directed, The Bank Job is a thoroughly entertaining British heist thriller."[20] Metacritic reports the film has a weighted average score of 69 out of 100 based on 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[21] Audiences polled by CinemaScore graded the film an average "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[22]
Box office
The Bank Job grossed $30.1 million in the United States and Canada, as well as $36.1 million in other territories (including $8.1 million in the UK), for a worldwide total of $66.1 million.[2]
The film opened at No. 4 in North America and grossed US$5.9 million in 1,603 cinemas in its opening weekend.[23]
References
- ^ "LUMIERE : Film #30087 : The Bank Job". lumiere.obs.coe.int.
- ^ a b c "The Bank Job Box Office Data". The Numbers. Nash Information Services. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
- ^ "The Bank Job (2008)". Box Office Mojo. 5 June 2008. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
- ^ Thorpe, Vanessa (11 March 2007). "Untold story of Baker Street bank robbery". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
- ^ a b c d "Bank job that opened the door on a royal sex scandal". Daily Mirror. 16 February 2008. Archived from the original on 18 February 2008.
- ^ Production Information Archived 2 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Lionsgate UK website, Accessed 9 January 2008
- ^ "How MI5 raided a bank to get pictures of Princess Margaret". Evening Standard. London. 20 May 2007. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ "Untold story of Baker Street bank robbery". the Guardian. 11 March 2007.
- ^ a b Lawrence, Will (15 February 2008). "Revisiting the riddle of Baker Street". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ a b Byrnes, Paul (26 July 2008) "Review: The Bank Job", Sydney Morning Herald
- ^ Jones, J.R. (7 March 2008). "What's the real story behind The Bank Job?". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ Denby, David (10 March 2008). "Class Acts: 'The Bank Job' and 'The Duchess of Langeais'". The New Yorker. Retrieved 17 March 2008.
- ISBN 0-14-052318-9.
- ^ 'Emperor of porn' jailed for running prostitution ring, The Independent, 2 July 1994
- ^ Andrew Weir, Jimmy and Rusty, The Independent, 4 July 1994
- ^ Naughton, Philippe (23 June 1970). "Man In Michael X Centre led in 'slave collar'". The Times. London. Retrieved 13 November 2008.
- ^ Bill Harry, The John Lennon Encyclopedia.
- ^ "The Bank Job. Making Of". iloura. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011.
- ^ Kent Film Office. "Kent Film Office The Bank Job Film Focus". Archived from the original on 22 June 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
- ^ "The Bank Job (2008)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 31 December 2008.
- ^ "The Bank Job Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 7 March 2008.
- ^ "Find CinemaScore" (Type "Bank Job" in the search box). CinemaScore. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ "The Bank Job (2008) – Weekend Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 10 March 2008.
External links
- The Bank Job at IMDb
- The Bank Job at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Bank Job at Metacritic
- The Bank Job at Box Office Mojo
- The Bank Job at AllMovie