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The Bank Job (R, 2008)

common sense media says

Caper movie mixes clichés, brutal violence.

parents & educators say
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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this edgy heist thriller has several scenes that show or insinuate "kinky" sex (bondage, domination) being paid for by British government officials. There's also partial nudity (breasts) and a thematic focus on scandals involving pornography and prostitution. Violence includes the prolonged torture/murder of a sympathetic crook; you can also expect plenty of gun use and fighting. Drugs (both dealing and smuggling) are discussed frequently, and scenes show marijuana use, cigarette smoking, and drinking. Language includes lots of "f--k"s, plus other profanity and British slang ("wanker," etc.).

Positive messages: Thieves are affable and crafty; sex-seeking government officials and dirty cops are smug and corrupt; gangsters and pimps are brutal. One thief's very generous "civilian" wife forgives him.
Violence: Gangsters carry guns and beat and torture their opponents. Weapons include guns, knives, and a blow torch. Images include bloody gunshot wounds and a dead body post-torture by burning. Thugs threaten the hero by smashing cars at his workplace. A stereotypical militant postures aggressively throughout the film and menaces an associate's girlfriend, eventually shooting her in a grave in Trinidad (this scene is brutal; she dies off screen, but you hear the shot and see her decayed body dug up by authorities weeks later).
Sex: Several sex scenes. Two women and a man have sex -- nakedness is clear (bare backs and breasts). In a sex club, a dominatrix whips a man in his underwear; there are women in bras and panties, some showing breasts and nipples. Scene in a bank vault features kissing and pawing. Photo intended for blackmail shows blurry sexual situations. Strippers appear in a club clad in thongs and nipple pasties. Sexual slang includes talk about oral sex, genitals, "tits," "wankers," and "prick."
Language: Lots of swearing, particularly "f--k." Other language includes "s--t" (sometimes used with "-hole" and "dog-"), "ass," "c--t," and "bastard."
Consumerism: London banks shown include Lloyds and Barclays.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Gangsters and cops are involved in drug dealing and smuggling. Frequent cigarette smoking and drinking in pubs and other social situations. Conversation about ganja; several scenes show marijuana smoking. A gangster takes prescription pills for kidney stone pain.
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More on The Bank Job

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about how heist movies tend to portray their "heroes." Even though they're planning robberies, characters like Terry and the guys in the Ocean's movies are sympathetic -- is that realistic? What defines a "good guy" and a "bad guy"? How does this movie make Terry and his outlaw gang seem less offensive than the bad cops and government authorities? Viewers who want to know more about the unsolved real-life 1971 robbery that inspired the movie can click here.

What's the story?

What's the story?
"You've always been looking for the big score," Martine Love (Saffron Burrows) tells Terry Leathers (Jason Statham), "the one that makes sense of everything." And so, in THE BANK JOB, Terry -- like many movie crooks before him -- is lured into a scheme (inspired by a real-life 1971 heist) to rob a London bank. With a crew comprised of both friends and specialists, he tunnels from a nearby shop into the bank's time-locked vault, where they find a trove of safety deposit boxes. It's only after finishing the job that Terry learns the heist was actually instigated by a spy tasked with retrieving one box's contents: pornographic photos of British politicians and aristocrats (including a royal princess). Now he has to outmaneuver government agents, gangsters, and both corrupt and good cops.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
Though Terry probably believes himself when he tells his wife that "All I want is to get out of the game," he's also plainly thrilled by challenge, the chance to beat the system one more time. But he's surprised by the ferocity of his adversaries, who have much more at stake than he does. These include not only the politicians caught with their pants down, but also a gangster who keeps cops on his payroll and a militant who's used the princess photos to blackmail his way out of a prison sentence. As Roger Donaldson's movie keeps track of all these plot strands at once, it becomes more procedural than compelling.

Meanwhile, per heist movie formula, Terry's bad behavior is offset by the even worse behavior of his opponents. Theft, deception, and adultery don't look so terrible compared to murder and torture, especially since the robbers seem like they're having fun, trusting and kidding one another in ways that the generally humorless assortment of gangsters, pimps, revolutionaries, and authorities can't manage. Statham is surely charismatic, but the film is finally defined by its thinly drawn characters (the stereotypical militant, the hypocritical politicos) and by-the-numbers plot.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Lionsgate
Director: Roger Donaldson
Cast: Jason Statham, Saffron Burrows, Stephen Campbell Moore
Genre: Drama
Run time: 115 minutes
Theatrical release: March 6, 2008
DVD release: July 15, 2008
MPAA Rating: R
MPAA explanation: sexual content, nudity, violence and language.
This review was written by Cynthia Fuchs
 
 

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What parents & educators say

16

Most useful reviews by all members

azdesertdawg
adult
 
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helped me decide (7) | had useful details (7) | read my mind (6)
orenmerry
teen, 15 years old
 
Wow!
My dad took me to see this movie and wow is all i could think when i came out of the theater. Here is a lot of boobs showing and one sceen of a vagina. There is constent sex talk. There is a good amount of voilnce, but none seen but one sceen. Very mild blood but you will get the point of GROSS!!! Do not get me wrong this was a fabulas movie and I loved it but it is not for 15- ages!!
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screenwatcher123
adult
 
I walked out
This movie was basically porno in theatres. The first thing you see is naked people. followed shortly by more naked people. The first 20 minutes was freking sex, porno, and chain whipping. we left after 20 mnutes when we saw an old man being chained up and whipped. Utterly distasteful and definately not for kids or anyone else who isnt a pervert.
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4Spice
adult
15
 
good movie 15 and up
great movie some violence and nudity mild sex 15 and over
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ac7193
teen, 17 years old
 
The Best Heist Movie So Far!!!!!!!
I decided to see this movie in the theaters rather than watching "Doomsday". I think I made a good choice. This film is by far the Best Heist Film Ever! I loved it beginning to end. This lands just above "The Italian Job".
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junktrucka210
teen, 14 years old
 
STUPID UNNEEDED SEX THROUGHOUT
I walked out of this movie. And I know I'm sounding really annoying, but there is so much nudity in this film. There's bondage, orgy's, strippers, and plain old sex scenes. It's partially disgusting.
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101playya
teen, 17 years old
 
never age appropet
t
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helped me decide (4) | had useful details (5) | read my mind (5)
SLUMDOG
teen, 14 years old
15
 
BEST LONDON CAPER FILM EVER SORRY GUT RITCHIE
BEST LONDON CAPER EVER THIS ORIGINAL CAPER FILM IS ORIGINAL JASON STATHAM IS ACTUALY ACTING AND HE'S GOOD THE NLY REAL THING IS THE ONE SCENE WHERE THEY SHOW BARE BREAST BUT OTHER WISE CLEAN. THE FILM IS FUNNY ESPECIALY THE PART WHERE HE KNOCKS OVER THE WALKIE TALCKIE OFF THE ROOF. GOD THE FILM ROCKS I DON'T CARE FOR CAPER FILMS BUT I LOVE THIS ONE IT'DS ORIGINIAL AND I COULS SEE THIS HAPPENEING IN REAL LIFE IN SHORT ONE OF THE BEST FILMS OF 2008 PERIOD
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eastside01
teen, 17 years old
12
 
The Bank Job will entertain.
The Bank Job is Jason Statham's best performance yet he plays a inexperienced bank robber who with his mates plan a bank robbery with an old flame of his plyed very well by Saffron Burrows.
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Kitsune87
adult
16
 
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Krozo
teen, 18 years old
 
Intense Heist Movie!!
This heist movie is unlike many heist movies to come out these days. The story revolves around a substantial amount of nude and group sex pictures of the Royal British Family. This is where the R-rating of this movie comes from. This movie's R-content mainly comes from the frequent nude scenes and related theme. This movie has one sex scene in the beginning of the movie where two women and a man are engaged in group sex. This is scene, though, only shows blurred distant shots or close-ups of breasts and stays away from any strong graphic detail. Most of the movie's violence lacks any detail, but it does have a strong impact. There is one scene in particular where a man has his legs torn apart with a blow-torch. This scene, again, does not have any graphic detail. All we see is the blow-torch tear through the parts and very briefly show it tear through the skin. However, we hear and see the intense agony of the character being tortured. Overall, this is a masterful heist movie with a thoroughly entertaining plot for everyone ages 15 and up. (As a side not I am 15 not 14 and I don't know how to change the age.)
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