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    		•

    FILMS

    The Score (2001)
  • Starring Robert De Niro, Edward Norton, Marlon Brando, Angela Bassett

  • Directed by Frank Oz

    • There's an old saying, "God is in the details." I believe this saying, and as such, movies that dive headfirst into a specific world, considering all of the aspects of that place and time, fascinate me. Whether it's a fantasy setting, a period piece, or a double-agent espionage thriller, I always enjoy when a film attempts verisimilitude. Thief/heist movies are among my favorites, especially when they're done correctly.

    The Score is a film about an aging thief (De Niro) who wishes to retire from his life of crime—presumably before his luck runs out. But, as always, there's something hindering him. He wants (or, in this case, is coerced by Brando and Norton) to do one last job.

    During the first 30 minutes of The Score, I really got into it—going even so far as to think, "Hey, this thief stuff is pretty cool. De Niro's character has a kick-ass lifestyle. He robs people, has a network of escape routes back to Canada, owns a jazz club, and has a secret workshop behind a toilet. This is all pretty cool. I'd like to do this." And then things get hairy, and he's unsure who he can trust, and I quickly remember how nervous I'd get if I were in that situation. Screw that, I'll stick with my dayjob—at least here, nobody's trying to send me to jail.

    One of the big appeals to this film is that it's just plain fun to watch De Niro and Norton plan the big heist of some old French artifact out of a customs house in Canada. They gather their thief-tools, blue-prints, and safe-cracking gadgets all in preparation for the big night. Very James Bond-ish.

    Ultimately The Score fails for me, to a greater or lesser degree. The film is about the heist, and the principles involved, but just as the movie really gets cooking, it's over. I'm not sure how they could've fixed this. The beginning and the middle were good. I would've erased Angela Bassett's role, though. It's small and doesn't add much to plot or motive. It's not that I don't like Bassett—in fact, I liked her a lot in Strange Days—but as De Niro's love interest, it didn't feel developed enough.

    And to be completely honest, I came to watch The Score for some kick-ass burglary. I don't want no lovey-dovey relationship stuff. Especially when it's as undercooked as it is in this movie. Aside from that, though, there's nothing else that I would add or delete. Perhaps compressed a scene or two here and there, but not by much.

    Or maybe it's that the film got it right. Maybe it's just my problem, in that, I liked the film and didn't want it to end. Maybe I wanted more sneaky stuff; hanging by ropes and redirecting infrared tripwires and wondering what De Niro means when—explaining how he's going to crack the mega-safe—says, "it's just physics." I'm not sure. But something was definitely lacking; whether is was on my part or the film's, I don't know.

    What I do know is that Marlon Brando has really let himself go. There's a few points when he walks across a room, or climbs a flight of stairs—and holy crap!—the poor guy is out of breath. His lines are delivered through huffs and puffs. If he were to revisit A Streetcar Name Desire he'd be yelling out, "Steeeeeeella! My heart has stopped! Bring the paddles! And a roast beef saaaaaaandwich!"