The Score | Angela Bassett, Marlon Brando | Delightful Heist movie starring De Niro and Norton

The Score | Angela Bassett, Marlon Brando | A Step Above the Ordinary

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The Score

	The Score Angela Bassett, Marlon Brando Paramount, 2001 average customer review:based on 180 reviews view larger image
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Robert De Niro plays a weary thief tempted by wily old associate Marlon Brando into, yes, one last job, a plan to rob a priceless scepter from Montreal's Customs House. Director Frank Oz's heist thriller partners De Niro with hotshot upstart Edward Norton, and you'd have to be determinedly grumpy not to get half a kick out of Brando, DeNiro, and Norton--more than holding his own--coolly bouncing off one another in a Method paradise. Brando may be enormous and breathing heavily with every move, but his technique is as agile as it ever was; he still seems spontaneously clever. Oz doesn't have the most crackling visual style in the world, as the film is far too smooth for tension, and keeps tapping Howard Shore's music score to do most of the work in that department; the divine Angela Bassett is once again totally wasted in a 10-minute throwaway role as De Niro's girlfriend. The Score isn't anything new, and there isn't a single surprise, but if you're into this sort of thing you do respond to its polished familiarity. --Steve Wiecking

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Delightful Heist movie starring De Niro and Norton

The Score is a perfect heist movie, because it brings in a lot of character development along with some good, human drama. Robert De Niro stars as a man who is good at taking scores. He is not just good at his craft, he is the best around. Robert plays this character with perfection as a man who is meticulous, methodical and all business. He never takes a big risk until one happens to present itself from his friend. Soon there are multiple snags and setbacks that would scare off most amateurs, but again this man is the master of what he does, and that includes some mind games.

Enter Edward Norton, playing the part of the man on the "inside" of the big job. Norton is superb in his character play of a mentally handicapped janitor at the facility where everything is going to take place. He also brings out the youth and arrogance that his characters needs to be the opposite of the man Robert plays, and that sets the stage for some tense moments at the end of the film.

The humanity is the frustration of the person who is setting up the score, a man who knows his life is perhaps over if things do not go well. None other than the legendary Marlon Brando plays this character. De Niro's character also has a choice between a final take and a new life with a new love, a theme that is very similar to the one his character played in the 1995 Heist style film called "Heat" directed by Michael Mann.

The film has great action as well as breathtaking moments, whether it is high tech surveillance or the snatch and go itself, The Score plays out with some nice surprises till the very end. With an excellent cast and strong direction, it finishes out as a very tight, character driven film.

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A Step Above the Ordinary

The Score is a standard heist movie with good direction (Frank Oz) and great acting. Although the plot is predictable fare for a high-tech theft caper, the movie is also a character study with an intelligent script and a cinematically interesting locale (Montreal).

Robert De Niro, Edward Norton, and Marlon Brando's superb acting lifts this film above the rest of the genre. My favorite parts of the movie were whenever Brando was on the screen. Norton plays a hotshot usurper with pyrotechnic acting, while Brando plays a burnt-out old pro. Brando takes the acting awards by merely lifting an eyebrow or using a chuckle to punctuate a sentence. De Niro is the perfect bridge between these two interesting characters and effortlessly comes across as smart and meticulous. Perfect casting to match the roles in the script.
The Shut Mouth Society
The Shopkeeper

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The Scepter Caper

The score is about stealing a scepter. Robert DeNiro, Ed Norton, and Marlon Brando scheme and plan to steal a King's scepter in the Montreal Custom House. Norton has a janitorial job there to help them get inside. Between wondering how to make the job work and wondering who they can trust there is a fair amount of suspense. Fans of movies like "The Italian Job" and "Foolproof" should enjoy it. Very good acting in this movie and you will appreciate Norton's ability especially as once again he shows another personality as he did in "Primal Fear". DeNiro and Brando are excellent as always. I highly recommend this crime caper movie.

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Nice Plot, Great Actors, Nice Twists

The Score is a good film with great performances.
Overall, I enjoyed the film. The caper to steal the sceptre was complex because of the high tech security, yet it was met with an ingenious theif that used low-tech equipment to combat their systems.
The jazz theme of NYC's represented improvisational way that many thieves worked in this film. DeNiro, also, (uncredited) directs Brando in many of the scenes here. Brando's character is flashier (as a fence) because he has to convince DeNiro's character to break his own rules to steal the scepter.
Seeing the legendary Marlon Brando in a role where he didn't have much screentime, but giving you a performance where you could laugh with his character and feel empathy for the character by the end of the film shows his genious.
I, also, loved Edward Norton in his dual role as the younger theif and as the night custodian Brian. Norton didn't phone in his acting here. He had me convinced at his first appearance that he was this mentally challenged guy on the streets of Montreal. I was just as taken aback as Nick (DeNiro's character) to find out that this guy was a hustler.
Deniro's character, Nick, played a low-key smooth operator in this film. As a jazz club owner of NYC's (Nick's - get it?) he enjoyed that lifestyle. Who wouldn't with the cool jazz artists that he had coming through performing there? The set was a place that made you want to visit NYC's. It was, also, indicative of this man's personality. On the other hand, he was ready to retire from the life of being a jewel thief; plans to settle with Diane (Angela Bassett) and own his club outright made him think it was worth the stretch.
Angela Bassett did a great job for the few times she was onscreen. The chemistry between her and DeNiro was great and credible although brief. She did show a reason why this guy would go for the final heist although other elements that he normally didn't take risk for kept coming into play.
I think his acting without saying a word after he buzzed her in indicated just how much he anticipated her visit with him, and shows his affection for this woman. Plus, he cooks a nice meal for her. How often do you see DeNiro's characters being so tender, romantic and subtle like that in a film?

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Nice Change of Pace

I watched "The Score" because it was one of Brando's last movies. That was as good a reason as any although Brando was not much of a presence in the film. The two main characters were De Niro and Norton. These two played very well off each other and elevated the movie (along with a great plot and script). There were ample twists and turns that drew me more and more into "The Score". The ending was excellent and my time was well spent. However, the movie had a fault or two. The main one was the romantic aspect. It really didn't fit the film. This is a cerebral action movie with no time for examining a tenuous relationship. Yes, we needed to understand De Niro as a man who was after one last score and with a vision of his future and the partner to share it with. But why give us a partner who seemed so unworthy of that supporting role? Oh well, to each his own. I appreciated a good fast-paced movie that kept me thinking after all the complex dramas I've been watching lately. I liked the Montreal setting too.

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