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I think the old saying is that there is no honor among thieves. Keep this in mind and you get the gist of The Score. The film looks promising on paper with a great cast of Robert De Niro, Edward Norton (Fight Club), Angela Bassett, and Marlon Brando. Plus you have Frank Oz as the director (though he is better known as the voices for various Sesame Street and Muppets Characters, and Yoda). Add in the action of a big heist, and you would think that The Score should be a big hit. Well not quite so fast, though big does adequately describe Marlon Brando and his presence. The film starts off with a small burglary at a mansion where Nick Wells (De Niro, Meet the Parents) is discovered by a resident, but gets away after threatening her into silence. Here we learn that Nick is an expert at breaking into safes. However the incident at the mansion makes Nick want to get out of the business as soon as he can afford to so that he doesn’t risk losing his home and nightclub in Montreal if he were to be busted. Then Max (Brando, The Island of Dr. Moreau) enters the picture as his partner in crime (he moves the stolen merchandise) with the proposition of a big score, however there are some hitches. First problem is that the place to be robbed is the Customs House in Montreal, this being a problem since as a thief you shouldn’t work in your own backyard. Second issue is that he would have to have a partner to get in, and this person is Jack (Norton). Jack has been casing the place as a mentally challenged janitor named Brian, and knows just how to get to the object they are to steal, a French scepter that is priceless (very different role than when I last saw him as a priest in Keeping the Faith). Jack needs Nick to break into the safe, and Nick needs Jack to get into the Customs House. So each needs one another, but neither likes or trusts the other one. The rest of the film is the two figuring out how to pull it off, the heist itself, and then how to screw each other over (as I mentioned before, there is no honor among thieves). And only because I mentioned her earlier, Angela Bassett (How Stella Got Her Groove Back) plays Diane, Nick’s girlfriend, a character that really wasn’t necessary to the plot (since Nick seems more intent on leaving the business in order to focus on his club more than the love of a woman). Kario Salem and Daniel E. Taylor get the writing credits for this film. Other cast members are Gary Farmer, Andrew Walker, Paul Soles, Jamie Harrold, and a few others that have very minor roles. Outside of the big three, only Jamie Harrold (Erin Brockovich) as the hacker had a memorable performance. Overall the acting was fine (though De Niro is better in 15 Minutes); there is an interesting story, and some good suspense/action scenes at the end of the film. Unfortunately the first half of the film was rather boring and very slow at times. This costs The Score a chance at being a real good movie, and makes it settle for being a decent movie. And to score The Score (couldn’t help it), I give it six couches out of ten. Goodbye.
Last updated: Saturday, October 28, 2006 05:37:40 PM Click Here to get back into frames.
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