With an impressive 80% score on Rotten Tomatoes, The Bank Job rates as one of Jason Statham’s most underrated movies. Although he is the biggest action movie star of the 2020s, the film has slipped under the radar, compared to much of his filmography. The movie earned $64.8 million worldwide at the box office, making it one of Statham’s more fiddling releases, yet it remains one of the actor’s finest projects and deserves to be looked at again.

Jason Statham is one of the greatest action movie stars of all time, so it is no wonder that The Bank Job is a tremendously entertaining heist movie. His roles always bring audiences on a thrill ride that makes his characters someone to root for, even when he is technically playing a bad guy. He has portrayed many great roles in action movies, but his portrayal of Terry Leather in The Bank Job​​​​​ counts as perhaps his most underappreciated.

What The Bank Job Is About

Jason Statham Robs A Bank

Unlike most of Jason Statham’s action movie heroes, his character in The Bank Job robs a bank with a heist team. Terry Leather is struggling with his finances as a car dealer while living in London with his wife and children. However, his ex-girlfriend, Martine (Saffron Burrows), comes back into his life and offers him the chance to join her in a bank heist. The two form a group to undertake the mission. The crew often communicates through walkie-talkies on their heist, which is actually a crucial detail from the true story on which the film is based.

Unfortunately for the characters, their walkie-talkies do not just help them connect during the heist. Police overhear their communications on their channel, leading them to the group while they’re mid-robbery. This initiates an exciting sequence of scenes, leaving the audience wondering if the heist team will get caught or if they will flee the scene. Scenes like this make The Bank Job even more thrilling than most heist films, which is why the movie deserves more attention from audiences.

Why The Bank Job Is Great If You Like Jason Statham Movies

It Moves Away From His Stereotypical Roles

Many Jason Statham action movies include high stakes, tension-filled scenarios, and a big team of people coming together to get a job done. The Bank Job ticks all these boxes, while leaning more towards thriller territory than stereotypical action. What makes the film particularly enjoyable for Statham fans is that it allows the actor to explore more of his dramatic side. In place of explosive fight scenes, the film prioritizes slick dialogue and drama – providing a stark contrast with much of Statham’s resume.

The Bank Job is also not Jason Statham’s only heist movie. He has also been in The Italian Job, Parker, and Wrath of Man. These are not his only heist movies, but they are some of his most popular. If viewers enjoy these films or Statham’s work in general, they will likely relish The Bank Job. It is similar enough to these other heist films but also different enough for it to stand independently.

How Accurate Is The Bank Job To The True Story?

It Makes Some Major Changes

While many of the best heist movies are not based on true stories, The Bank Job takes a different approach. However, while the events on which the movie is based definitely happened, The Bank Job‘s true story is likely very different from what’s portrayed on screen. The real crime is often referred to as the Walkie-Talkie Robbery and took place in 1971. There is not much known about the true story, including what the people who robbed the bank were like.

Given what’s known about the true story, it’s unsurprising that it was turned into a movie. Enough details are known – including the fact that the police intercepted communications as the heist was underway – that The Bank Job can craft a compelling narrative. Ultimately, however, the film itself is just a theory of the events that took place, which arguably makes it even more interesting.

Despite the film’s potential inaccuracy, The Bank Job is a great heist movie based on a true story. It consistently leaves the audience on the edge of their seat, wondering if the heist will be a success or a failure throughout the entire film. All these aspects of the film make it one of Jason Statham’s best action movies that deserves more attention.

The Bank Job

The Bank Job is a 2008 heist thriller directed by Roger Donaldson, starring Jason Statham as Terry Leather, a small-time car dealer entangled in a major bank robbery. Set in London, the film follows a group of amateur criminals who plan a daring heist at a Baker Street bank. The subsequent fallout uncovers a web of corruption involving high-profile figures. Based on true events, the film explores themes of crime and intrigue.

Director

Roger Donaldson

Distributor(s)

Lionsgate