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4 stars****

Jason Statham emerges in a role that appears written for him. It almost certainly wasn’t, but if you want a bank robber and/or small time criminal in London circa any year from 1965, then Jason is your man.

Yet again, another Brit movie that hits all the high notes; the Brits are certainly making quality movies these days. No gloss, no glamour, real life people and sets.

It helps to have two genius writers carve the screenplay. Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais have a dazzling track record in both television and screenplay writing. The writing is superb throughout mixing good pace with comedy in precarious circumstances.
Check out Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais at http://us.imdb.com/

This tale, which you’d think was a farce, is from a real account where a number of small time criminals get the inside information on a large bank job from a two timing (part criminal and part friend of MI5) Martine (the excellent Saffron Burrows). It appears there wasn’t a lady in this role in the real version, but this is movie world time where anything can change from factual life, a book or a documentary to suit the movie, the screenplay and the audience.

One of the real surprises is Soho porn king Lew Vogel, played by David Suchet. While David has always been an excellent actor, I always, always, imagine him as Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot. He takes this role and makes it his own and it’s the first time I forgot he was the great sleuth.

The team of villains isn’t used to such a high tech job – tunneling into a bank from a local shop – and blunder from difficulty to crisis which they solve so effortlessly. They only fold by using walkie-talkies for communication which a ham radio fan delivers to the police. Calamity doesn’t help the police though, without giving anything anyway here.

The only reason we fall short of 5 stars here is due to Malcom X’s character here supposedly from Trinidad, but using a highly polished Jamaican accent. The director should have taken the actor to Trinidad for a holiday first.

You’ll end up encouraging the ‘baddies’ who become the ‘goodies’. You’ll want them to get away with the escapade.

The ending works very well – you’ll have to go see it to check that out. It may not be manifestly believable, but as it’s based upon a real story and one that was D listed (a press blackout) by the powers that be; for a change it’s right for the circumstance.

All in all, I was very well entertained.

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