The Bank Job

Rated R for language, violence, nudity, sexuality

Starring Jason Statham, Safron Burrows

Based on London's "Walkie Talkie Robbery" of 1971, this is probably the first really good movie of the 2008, if you can get past the first 20 minutes. And no, it's not just because I think Jason Statham is f'ing hot.

Before the opening credits, I felt like I was watching a porno at the amount of sex and nudity that were being shown, and then after the credits, there's quite a bit of T&A in a scene that takes place in a bar for a bachelor party and another scene that takes place with gov't officials in a whorehouse. But once you get past the 20 min, the rest of the film was great, as you make sense of everything you had seen prior.

Michael X is a black activist with a dirty record of his own. After assaulting some guy of importance and being taken to court for it, they decide to try and press him on drug charges as well. However, as leverage, he claims to have some steamy photos of someone in the royal family on vacation, and he plans to use them to keep out of jail. In order to make sure these photos don't see the light of day, London's MI-5 comes up with a plot to pass info onto a group of former thieves that the vault which the photos are stored in will have its alarm disable for 1 weekend only, in hopes that their mole can get the photos for them.

Although the heist itself is done by the first half to 2/3rds of the movie, the aftermath of the the heist is where things really start to pick up, as the vault they broke into and stole items from stored even more pictures of public officials in compromisable situations, as well as information on crooked cops. Now the unknowning police aren't the only ones after our band of thieves!

Not one for the kiddies, but if you can sit through the first 20 min or so of random T&A (which it all makes sense in the aftermath of the heist), definately don't miss this one, as plot-wise, it really is the best film of the year so far.

And although Jason Statham does go a little bit Transporter at the end, he really does a good job actually getting to act in this film, rather than just beat bad guys senseless while looking-good.