movie is pretty awful, surprised at rating.

This film gets better as it goes and the various pieces begin to fall into place. I actually think it's one of the best caper movies that I've seen in a while.

you are dumb, extremely so

Like many British films, this movie is understated with respect to acting, directing, and the story. Unfortunately, too many Americans prefer their movies 'in your face style' where subtly is sacrificed for never ending car chases and explosions. In my opinion, the only thing more boring then gratituous violence are pointless car chases and exposions. There was nothing unclear about the settign and time of the film but then I lived through the period and it all looked quite familiar to me. As far as 'better bank robbery movies' are concerned, you had better provide a list since I'm hard pressed to think of even one. I don't count the recent Danny Ocean movies because they were played tongue in cheek whereas 'The Bank Job' was played seriously. Most caper movies are played semi-seriously and this is what makes 'The Bank Job' so unusual: There's very little humor and the film is played almost as a semi-documenary of a real bank robbery. Admittedly, the lack of serious action is apt to turn off younger American audiences that have been fed a constant diet of Hollywood garbage...if what you seek is more of what Hollywood does best: The dumb, bombastic action flick, this movie probably won't appeal to you regardless of how many times you watch it. If however, you want to watch a movie that requires you to pay attention (can't walk out to buy popcorn, come back, and expect to understand story) then you might be rewarded with a marvelously entertaining film.

I don't understand how people (and there are plenty other on these boards) watch 1/4 or 1/3 of a movie, turn it off ... and then post an opnion on it. How can you say a movie is good or bad when you've only watched part of it? Yes, we are all entitled to our opinions and all are free to express them as they see fit ... I just find it a silly waste of time to say "Here's what I thnk of this movie ..." and then be asked "But what did you think of THIS part?" only to be able to answer "Oh. I didn't watch all of it. I didn't see that part." It certainly isn't a review of the movie, only an opnion of a part of a movie.
Those are my two cents. Spend them as you see fit.

The rating is well-deserved. Definitely one of the best movies of 2008 in general and one of the best caper movies ever made.

I was really impressed with the sequence and the juxtaposition of the scenes in the opening 30 minutes starting with the teaser sex scene during the opening credits. All the major characters and their relationships and associations were established by the 30-minute mark leanly and logically.

With regards to casting, I felt like it was an enjoyable "opposite day" when I first saw this movie because of the way I remembered most of the actors.

David Suchet, much loved for his definitive role as Hercule Poirot looked like his playing against type as the sleazy porn purveyor, Lew Vogel.

Sharon Maughan whom I remembered as the classy sophisticated neighbor in those memorable Taster Choice coffee commercials of the '80s with Anthony Head was unrecognizable as the brothel owner Sonia Bern.

Jason Statham who first impressed me as the corrupt cop in Cellular (2004) won my total sympathy as Terry Leather.

Hattie Morahan, the no-inhibitions undercover agent Gale Benson, was first known to me as the prim and proper Elinor Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility (2008).

Colin Salmon who had a great screen debut as the imposing Sgt. Robert Oswalde of Prime Suspect (1992) was unrecognizable as Hakim Jamal.




Billy Wilder Page, Play the Movie Smiley Game
www.screenwritingdialogue.com

Only think awful here is your taste in movies. This was probably the best bank heist movie I've ever seen. And I've probably seen most of them. Very good pacing, non-hollywoodish storytelling (no huge explosions, unnecessary car chases, no cheesy one-liners etc), well acted and scripted.

I'm an American and I thought this was a really good film. Trust me, there are some Yanks out there that do appreciate storytelling more than car chases and explosions.

Plot was okay in this movie, but the Director didn't do his homework at all. The hand-held transmitters they were using were operating in the vhf bands, where the Ham operater seen in this movie was using an HF transmitter, which receives radio signals from a far lower set of band freqs.,than what the vhf hand-helds could actually transmit at. In other words, the vhf hand-held transmitters could never, ever have been heard over the HF transmitter the ham operator was using to receive the signals of the robbers in this movie. The freqs on either set of radios (vhf hand-helds verses the HF (low band) transmitter) doesn't match up correctly, as to what frequencies they could actually transmit and receive at. The HF transmitter operates within the 160 meter, on up to, and including the 10 meter band, where as the VHF hand-helds operate from 144 Mhz, on up to the 200 mhz freqs. That's way far higher in freq. than what the HF transmitter in this movie could ever receive at. It would be totally impossible for the ham operator to pickup vhf signals over the lower HF transmitter's freqs, as seen in this movie. Sadly to say, in my eyes this movie flopped greatly because of the directors mistake of not using the correct type of radio to receive vhf signals in this movie, at the ham station. Otherwise, the acting wasn't bad, and it did have a good thought regarding the plot of the movie, like I said. Had the director used the correct type of transmitter at the ham's station, the movie would have made better sense, and got a much higher marking grade by me. I give this movie 1 1/2 stars, and that's just for both plot and acting. It didn't make the grade with me.