Something happens in the first few seconds of The Bank Job‘s trailer that I don’t think I’ve ever seen before. Jason Statham actually cracks a smile. No, seriously. An actual, albeit largely unconvincing, in a ‘can this human actually perform this action?’ kind of smile.
I don’t think that’s why the movie, which is one of Statham’s highest-rated flicks ever – it sits in third position on Rotten Tomatoes, only below 2015’s Spy and also 2015’s Furious 7 (it was quite the year for ol’ Stath) – has such critical acclaim, though.
But it is a reason to watch before it disappears from Netflix on 14 August. There have been many rumours about a sequel to director Roger Donaldson’s 2008 movie, too, but I wouldn’t click on any – as it’s all just AI-generated guff. Stick with the real deal, watch the trailer embedded below, and see why Statham is just so forever watchable.
The Bank Job trailer
What’s The Bank Job about?
I don’t think it’d be much of a spoiler alert to state that The Bank Job is, unsurprisingly, about a bank job. But set in 1970s London. And the story exposes a royal scandal. Then the government and the mob get involved. It’s all very English and, well, all very Statham.
Statham plays Terry, a car dealer and petty criminal, who is trying to live the stable life with his wife and kids. But then his ex, Martine (Saffron Burrows), bursts back onto the scene and dangles a very tasty-looking carrot in the form of a bank job. Terry brings together a crew to pull off a big payday and everything goes south from there on out.
While the director, Roger Donaldson, put the movie out in 2008, he’s acclaimed for a bunch of other hits, all the way back to Tom Cruise’s 1988 Cocktail, through to 1997’s Dante’s Peak, and 2005’s The World’s Fastest Indian. All critically acclaimed or, at the very least, fun movies to watch. So The Bank Job is in good company.
Is The Bank Job one of Statham’s best?
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As said up top, The Bank Job is one of Statham’s highest-ever rated movies. And before you assume that’s because he doesn’t have any genuinely highly-rated movies, let’s look over the numbers, as based on score aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes.
The Bank Job nets a 79% critics score, which I’ll round up as a sound 4-stars. Flip the ratings to be based by audience score, however, and the 74% rating actually drops the movie to Statham’s 12th highest. Which goes to show how many other audience-approved bangers he’s starred in.
From Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998, 93% rated), to its sequel, Snatch (2000, also 93% rated), or more recently The Beekeeper (2024, 92% rated) and Wrath of Man (2021, 90% rated), there are plenty of high-flyers in Statham’s stable. Three out of four of those are directed by Guy Ritchie, which is no coincidence.
Anyway, go watch The Bank Job before it leaves Netflix on 14 August. And if you’re subscribed to various other best streaming services then you could also catch the movie on Lionsgate+ for the foreseeable.
