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    • BLU-RAY REVIEW

    Bank Job, The

    Featured In Issue 134, September 2008

    Picture4
    Sound4
    WSR Score4
    Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
    (Studio/Distributor):
    Lionsgate Home Entertainment
    (Catalog Number):
    23614
    (MPAA Rating):
    R
    (Rating Reason):
    Sexual content, nudity, language and violence
    (Retail Price):
    $34.98
    (Disc Type):
    Single Side, Single Layer (BD-25)
    (Widescreen Edition):
    Yes
    (Full Screen Edition):
    No
    (Running Time In Minutes):
    110
    (Color Type):
    Color
    (Chaptered/Scene Access):
    Yes
    (Closed Captioned):
    Yes
    (Regional Coding):
    Not Indicated
    (Theatrical Year):
    2008
    (Theatrical Release):
    Yes
    (Direct-To-Video Release):
    No
    (Disc Release Date):
    07/15/08
    (THX® Digitally Mastered):
    No
    (Director):
    Roger Donaldson
    (Screenplay/Written By):
    (Story):
    (Music):
    (Director Of Photography):
    (Production Designer):
    (Visual Effects):
    (Costume Designer):
    (Editor):
    (Supervising Sound Editors):
    (Re-Recording Mixers):
    (Executive Producers):
    (Co-Producers):
    (Producers):
    (Academy Awards):
    (Principal Photography):
    (Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
    (Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
    (Disc Soundtrack):
    DTS HD Lossless 7.1
    (Theatrical Sound):
    (Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
    (DTS Bit Rate):
    (Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
    (Additional Languages):
    (French Language):
    (Spanish Language):
    (Chinese Language):
    (Subtitles):
    (Cantonese Language):
    (Mandarin Language):
    (Japanese Language):
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    (German Language):
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    Terry Leather (Statham), who owns a small used car lot in London's East End, wishes to leave his shady past behind and start a family. When a beautiful former neighbor, Martine (Burrows), approaches Terry with a foolproof plot to rob Lloyds Bank, Terry recognizes the potential danger of the Job but believes this may be the chance of a lifetime. Along with a ragtag gang, the East Ender burrows into a vault in London's most popular bank. The contents of the safe-deposit boxes reveal a great deal of dirty secrets by London's movers and shakers. Now 35 years after the crime, with the government gag order expired, we learn what really happened in one of Britain's biggest and least-known robberies in which no money was ever recovered nor was any perpetrator ever arrested. (Stacey Pendry)

    Special features include a feature commentary track by Director Roger Donaldson, Actress Saffron Burrows, and Composer J. Peter Robinson; the following two featurettes: Inside The Bank Job (17 minutes) and The Baker Street Bank Raid (15 minutes); six minutes of extended/deleted scenes available with an optional commentary track; the original theatrical trailer; and previews. Disc Two contains a digital copy of this film for transfer to Mac or PC.

    The anamorphically enhanced 2.32:1 DVD is stylized to match the time frame well, with desaturated colors giving it an aged appearance, and a color scheme dominated by golds and earthy hues. Resolution is quite good. Black levels are deep and shadows are delineated well. Fleshtones can appear plugged up, however, and contrast occasionally looks washed-out. There are rarely any compression artifacts noticeable, and edge enhancement is very minor. The H.264 AVC-encoded Blu-ray Disc appears smeared when compared to better high-definition releases, but black levels are deep and shadow delineation is good. The dated appearance still holds in the high-definition release as well. (Danny Richelieu)

    The DVD's Dolby® Digital Surround EX™ 5.1-channel soundtrack uses each channel effectively, with a well-mixed front stage and engaging surrounds. The LFE channel is effective for both music and effects, and bass is nicely defined. Dialogue is always intelligible, but it often sounds thin. Phantom imaging is good across the front stage, but is rare in the surround stage. There is an adequate sense of depth and breadth to the soundtrack, and dynamic range is nicely delivered. The Blu-ray Disc's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1-channel soundtrack improves fidelity noticeably, with tighter, more impactful bass and better articulation. Dynamic range is also improved some. The thin characteristic of the dialogue can still be heard though. (Danny Richelieu)

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