The Bank Job Poster Steals the Show

The Bank Job starring Jason Statham is another in a long line of heist gone wrong movies (it even uses heist gone wrong in it's tagline). While it is doubtful that The Bank Job will distinguish itself from other heist movies in recent history it does stand out in one respect, its poster.


The poster is a simple, gritty, beautiful throwback to the 70's. We see Statham clad in a leather jacket doing his best James Dean, behind the wheel of a car (he is a car dealer in the movie) looking out the driver side window with a reflection of another classic car visible in his window. But it's not so much the content of the image that is important, but how it is presented. With the use of washed out neutral colors, the poster's artist makes you subconsciously think "old", not old like Peter O'Toole, but in a nostalgic kind of way. To cement this effect, the artist used a "film grain" filter to give it that gritty old school feel.

As I stated above, I seriously doubt The Bank Job will do anything to revolutionize the heist movie genre. It will probably fall somewhere in the middle of the pack and will probably just remind you of Statham's strong turns in previous heist movies like Snatch and The Italian Job. Of course I wouldn't be surprised if The Bank Job manages "to steal the #1 spot in the box office" this coming weekend (you see what I did there, I stole the inevitable corny ass headlines from next Monday's entertainment columns).

If seeing the trailer for The Bank Job has gotten you in the mood for a great heist movie allow me to make a few suggestions:

Reservoir Dogs - The quintessential heist gone wrong movie. Tarantino at his best.

Ocean's Eleven (2001) - The best of the three "new" Ocean's movies, and better than the original, Ocean's Eleven is just flat out fun. It's slick, cool, funny, and the plot has so many great twists it will keep you guessing. George Clooney & Brad Pitt head up a star studded cast.

Dog Day Afternoon - Al Pacino and John Cazale play criminal masterminds who plan to use the proceeds from a heist for a sex change operation. The heist goes wrong and the pair as besieged by the cops and the media. The movie is based on a true story because you can't make that kind of shit up.

Bonnie and Clyde - A pair of young criminals, played by Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, go on a murderous bank robbing spree across the south. The film, which was released at a time when America's youth was becoming increasingly disenchanted with the government & the Vietnam War, immediately connected with the growing counterculture eager to rebel against the government. Bonnie and Clyde was criticized at the time for its violence and romanticizing of the criminal duo and was met with resistance from the censors. The ending of the movie however dispelled any notion of romancing the criminal lifestyle (I won't give away the ending, but trust me it's a classic). Bonnie and Clyde paved the way for films like Thelma and Louise, True Romance, and Natural Born Killers.

Heat - The mack daddy of all heist movies. Michael Mann's epic story of an armed robber (DeNiro) and the cop chasing him (Pacino). Underneath the action packed heist movie is a commentary on man's insecurity (DeNiro's speech about being able to walk away from anything in 30 seconds says it all) and obsession. The film's climatic heist gone wrong is a bullet filled action packed scene that can't be missed. Great supporting performances are turned in from Val Kilmer, Tom Seizmore, John Voight, and a 14 year old Natalie Portman. An all time great!