The Score (2001, DVD)

~~~~~~~~~ Theater = Entertainment ~~~~~~~~~

Theater going isn't on my regular to-do list. It
fell off around the time my first son turned one.
So when I do get released from parent shackles for
a night on the town, I want to be entertained.

Tickets were difficult to pre-order for The Score.
It seems everyone in town wanted to see it tonight.
When I finally found some tickets, I felt like I
had won the Publishers' Clearing House Sweeps.
Tons of ads and previews later, the movie started
to a hushed full house.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Plot Appetizers ~~~~~~~~~~~~

De Niro was on screen, competently burgling some
estate. Minor complications with a recreational
smoker slowed him down. As he leaves the scene
heading for home, we see his efficient operation.
Smooth, quiet and low key, Nick Wells is a true
pro at the business of property redistribution.

Enter Brando. As Max the fence, Brando looks
better than I expected. He's in deep to some tough
guys and needs Nick to pull a bigger, riskier job
than usual. Nick agrees to do the cliched "one
last job" before settling down with his jazz club.

Max has an inside guy for the job. Jack is played
like a violin by Edward Norton. He is a bit of a
loose cannon. He confronts Nick in Nick's part of
town, a big no-no. Nick's aid, Burt, goes to teach
Jack a lesson. We see Jack's personality show
itself by the way this scene plays out. For his
inside role, Jack becomes Bryan, a man with
physical and mental differences. Highly believable,
Norton gives Bryan a cloak of invisibility. Like
the homeless, those differently abled are often
overlooked.

Weakly portrayed, the relationship between Diane
(Angela Bassett) and Nick is supposed to be the
inducement for Nick's gamble. Sadly, it doesn't
work. Bassett's limited screen time gives us no
opportunity to believe Nick's motivation. This
movie is rated "R". Can't we see a little passion
between these two? De Niro has gotten a little
older but is still sexy. The Score should give
us at least a hint of a relationship between
these protagonists.

Nick gets loads of warning signs about this final
big job. Should he back out? If he does, his
promise to Diane and his commitment to Max will
be undermined. Save himself? Or risk all for
the sake of relationships?

The movie ends with some great scenes. I'm not
going to give away anything here you can't gather
from a trailer or website. That wouldn't be fair.
Let's just say that "Old age and Trickery will
overcome youth and ambition" should be Nick's
mantra.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bottom Line ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bottom line on this film is that it works, even
though some weaknesses are present. The passion
between Bassett and De Niro needs reheating. The
security systems on priceless antiquities in
Montreal are seriously inadequate (at least as
portrayed in this film). These down sides aren't
enough to stop me from recommending this film.
Great performances by the principals make this a
worthwhile outing. My fellow audience members
were engrossed in the final scenes. The Score
gave me my money's worth of entertainment. If
you love De Niro or Brando, see it on the big
screen.

Montreal is a beautiful city. It's never looked better
than it does in this film. Thanks to Michaelhead for
reminding me that Montreal deserves part of the credit
in this movie.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rating Guidance ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Loads of bad language. Very little violence.
No sex scenes. Rated R.