The Score (2001)

The Score follows Robert De Niro as an aging master thief on a quest to complete one final heist before settling down and starting a family with stewardess girlfriend Angela Bassett. A relatively hackneyed story, and the introduction of a rash and inexperienced partner isn't particularly new either, even when that partner is played by Ed Norton. And of course, there's got to be some big cheese financing the whole shebang; in this particular case, the head honcho is Marlon Brando.

There's a great deal of tension early on as misgivings about this new partner, the motives of his boss, and the location of the target cause De Niro's character to wonder whether he should continue with the caper or not. But of course we all know he will (we saw it in the previews), and eventually they get down to the brass tacks of the planning process.

Up to and including this part, the film's pace is rather slow and methodical, but it doesn't drag too much. And given the context of De Niro's patient nature, it's expected that such a perfectionist thief would take his time to get things right. Also keeping things interesting are Norton's excellent portrayal of his retarded janitor alter ego, and Brando's performance as the man in charge. Make no mistake: this is not a reprise of the wise and calculating "Godfather". Brando's character here is more eccentric, and comes across as being somewhat like your Great-Uncle Louie who's always betting too much money at the track. I wasn't totally thrilled with the character, but Brando does a good job with what he's given.

Finally the heist unfolds. The complexity of the entry is rivalled only by Mission Impossible, and it would be disappointing to see anything less. The audience is treated to some excellent thrills as various parts of the plan fall into and/or out of place, and of course there's some tricks and turns and double-crosses. As I mentioned, the pace of much of the movie is rather slow and methodical, but in the end this serves to highlight the frantic pace of the escape, which is well filmed with NYPD Blue-like handheld camera shots to increase the feeling of danger and instability. And the ending is a pleasant surprise which actually elicted applause from the theater in which I viewed the film.

All in all, The Score is a very solid entry in the "big heist" arena and although it shares many common components with its peers, the performances are top-notch and the overall execution is sufficient to lend a fresh take on the genre.