The Score | Angela Bassett, Marlon Brando

The Score | Angela Bassett, Marlon Brando | extremely entertaining and suspenseful

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The Score

	The Score Angela Bassett, Marlon Brando Paramount, 2001 average customer review:based on 181 reviews view larger image
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A brief comment

This is a smart, well-crafted heist movie, which I enjoyed much more than the earlier The Heist (which was just too overly clever what with all the back-up plans and the self-consciously cool dialog). The three main actors, Brando, Norton, and De Niro all turn in exemplary performances, probably the one and only time all three ever worked togegther. Watching De Niro use all his safe-cracking skills is fascinating, something most of us probably know nothing about. After all, one doesn't meet high-level safe-crackers every day. :-) The safe-cracking scene with the thermal torch made for some spectacular cinematography what with all the sparks, and the way De Niro figures out how to open the safe so quickly is inspired. In the commentary on the DVD, they mention that's the way it actually happened when they filmed it, and it's another spectacular scene, but I won't say anything more so as not to spoil it for you. But you'll see what I mean when you come to it. The ending is also a surprise, and the unobstrusive musical score adds drama and some nice mood touches where they're appropriate. Overall a good flick and worth your time and money.

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extremely entertaining and suspenseful

Granted, there is a certain sense of deja vu that comes from watching "The Score". The De Niro character, Nick Wells, is extremely familiar, like a cross between the roles he played in "Midnight Run" and "Heat". And that's not to mention the whole idea of Nick getting sucked into doing 'one last heist' by his associate partner Max, played by none other than Marlon Brando.

Despite the fact that it's somewhat lacking in originality, "The Score" makes for a hell of an entertaining movie anyway. It's extremely suspenseful, thanks to the excellent pacing, and to an engagingly clever twist or two in the story. De Niro is very much in his element in a role like this, and his performance is typically excellent, including the compelling interplay between him and Brando. Edward Norton does double duty--he does a spot-on job of portraying a younger hotshot thief named Jack Teller who's out to prove himself; and he also does a mind-blowingly convincing job of portraying a mentally challenged janitor named Brian, used as an alter-ego to help Jack gain entry into the location where the heist will be talking place. You might expect there to be a ton of violence in a movie like this, but actually, there's not very much at all, and with the suspense level being so high anyway, the effect is refreshing.

Ultimately, "The Score" is top-notch entertainment that delivers the goods.

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The French gangster film goes to Montreal.

Montreal is an inexpensive pace to film and can be made easily to resemble a confined space. It's also beautiful. And French.

In construction The Score owes a good deal to Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Cercle Rouge, and although it's in color, the feeling is black and white. The story centers around what is to be DeNiro's last heist, a 17th century French sceptre worth a bundle. He works the job with the ever chameleon like Edward Norton. Their boss is Marlon Brando, and Angela Bassett plays the highly believable love interest.

The movie avoids cliches; the characters develop; and the action is arresting from the first. I confess I'd never even heard of this movie when I found it on cable one night. Too bad for me; it's terrific.
Director Franks Oz, the dark side of Sesame Street, does a fine job of creating a taut gangster flick, making moral judgements on a case by case basis rather than providing an overarching moral atmosphere a la francais.

If you've never seen The Score, you should. If you've wondered what a non-overblown American robbery movie looks like this is it. Oz's great accomplishment here,though, is letting the actors play their parts rather than imitate former screen incarnations. No mean feat in itself and a 'helluva' movie into the bargain.

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A Score to Settle Between Combatants.

Edward Norton has come a long way from portraying the weird-looking punk, Jack,in this movie to the handsome, debonair Illutionist of 2006. The story of a jazz club in Montreal run on dirty money was by Daniel Taylor. Frank Oz directed. The music was selected by Howard Shore. I enjoyed M. Allison's song at the piano in the Club most of all. The ending was the only surprise, but it was predictable.

There were a few complications with their planned theft. Norton was a good actor as a handicapped employee (with symptoms of a stroke) who worked on the inside to help with the heist at the House of Commons. He's sneaky but no one pays any attention to him, and he has access and keys to important places. He was actually Jack Teller and not Brian at all. Now, that took acting! They made it look complicated as they avoided the security cameras. Nero in that silly mask especially with the goggles, was almost comical. It was all done by computers. I wish I had more tech savvy and maybe I'd know how to restart my computer some hacker knocked out. It was long and drawn out and I really got tired as it was not suspenseful, a lot of damage and sparks flying, but he was double crossed by Jack.

Or was he? Jack was left hight and dry without so much as busfare to get out of town. He was a con man, albeit a super smart one, but he was out-foxed by a pro who'd switched bags. And, thus, the treasure was headed to the right place while Jack to jail most probably.

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