Deniro plays the familiar role of semi-retired criminal, so en vogue in movies nowadays. Sure, in the past, or last week, he was breaking into high-class mansions dressed as a helium balloon man, then making away with two hundred thousand dollars worth of jewels, but that was then. Now, Deniro enjoys the honest life of nightclub owner in Montreal, where he lives a good, smoky life of beat jazz and moderate alcohol intake. He has a serious girlfriend, he's got plenty of illicit money, and all is right with the world. That is until Marlon Brando, his criminal boss and antique spotter comes to him with a proposition. One job, five million dollars. All you have to do is break into the Montreal Customs House, the most guarded building in the city. The plan is the brainchild of a brash new burglar, played by Edward Norton, who has engineered a very good plan to make the score. They just need someone with the experience and expertise of Deniro's character. So, he goes in, and the rest is our movie (what, you thought he would turn it down?).
The strengths of the movie, to me, were obviously Norton and Deniro. I really liked Nortons character, it was a very multi-layered performance as you could never truly figure his persona out. This leads to a delightful amount of friction between him and Deniro, as the veteran that Deniro portrays is loathe to take some of the chances that Norton takes. Deniro is his usual solid self as a man who is tired but can never say no to adventure. The storyline concerning his girlfriend, however, was just a waste of time, as it never really added anything concrete to the storyline. Marlon Brando is little more than distracting in his role, I did not really buy his angle or what he was trying to do. It's just a wash with him. The story is tight, and the buildup to the finale is pretty intense. The big score at the end is very thrilling, as is the tricky little twist slipped in at the end. All in all, The Score is a faithful tribute to all the heist and caper movies that came before. It has little new, but what is has has apparently aged very well.
Edward Norton is full of life, zest, and enthusiasm. The dual role played be him, as a retarded housekeeper and as an adept thief, is pretty convincing and smartly enacted. The gadgets seem like con-jobs, but are however, pretty well-done and detailed. The computer-hacking part and the part about stealing the codes regarding the security system are overdone, and seem factitious and fatuous. The hacker-geek with a baneful mother is a lot more baneful than his squalling mother herself. Amidst of the many imperfections in the movie, it builds up steadily and interestingly to a well-written and well-directed climax. More than anything else, it is the climax of the movie, which makes it complete as an entertaining thriller.
With the kind of the star-cast it has, the movie is deceptive: It doesn't have substance, it doesn't have style, and it lacks maturity. If watched with keeping the brain aside to rest, it is thrilling and entertaining, and can be savored at best. Along with its healthful entertaining value, the score itself, of THE SCORE, by Howard Shore is good music for the ears.
