The Score (2001)

An aging thief hopes to retire and live off his ill-gotten wealth when a young kid convinces him into doing one last heist.

Director:

Frank Oz

Writers:

Daniel E. Taylor (story), Kario Salem (story),

Stars:

Robert De Niro, Edward Norton, Marlon Brando

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert De Niro	...	Nick Wells
Edward Norton	...	Jack Teller
Marlon Brando	...	Max
Angela Bassett	...	Diane
Gary Farmer	...	Burt
Paul Soles	...	Danny
Jamie Harrold	...	Steven
Serge Houde	...	Laurent
Jean-René Ouellet	...	André (as Jean Rene Ouellet)
Martin Drainville	...	Jean-Claude
Claude Despins	...	Albert
Richard Waugh	...	Sapperstein
Mark Camacho	...	Sapperstein's Cousin
Marie-Josée Colburn	...	Woman in Study (as Marie-Josee D'Amours)
Gavin Svensson	...	Man in Study

Storyline

Nick Wells, a professional criminal, decides to leave the business for good, since he nearly got caught on his last job. His plan is to live in peace with his girl Diane, running his Montreal jazz club. Soon afterward, Max, his good friend and financial partner, comes along with an offer Nick can't refuse: A historical and priceless French scepter has been discovered while being smuggled into the country. It is now under massive surveillance in the Montreal Customs House, and soon to be returned to France. Nick has to team up with Max's man inside, the young, talented and aggressive thief Jack Teller to get the precious item. Only one question remains: Who will trick whom out of their share?

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Plot Keywords:

thief | scepter | customs house | jazz club | heist | 

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Taglines:

There are no partners in crime

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English French

Release Date:

13 July 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Cartada Final

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$68,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$184,599 (Netherlands) (2 November 2001)

Gross:

$1,649,345 (Italy) (2 November 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Mandalay Pictures, Horseshoe Bay Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the only movie to star both Robert De Niro and Marlon Brando, the first actors ever to both win Academy Awards for playing the same role, that of Vito Corleone in the The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II.

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Goofs

The final bus station Jack runs to does not exist. The establishing shot before depicting a Montreal landmark facing the bus stop would place it in the middle of a popular tourist area opened only to pedestrians and cyclists in the old port of Montreal.

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Quotes

Max: My God! Let me get a look at you. You know, you look like shit. What's your secret?

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Connections

References Rain Man (1988)

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Soundtracks

"Green Dolphin Street"
Written by Bronislau Kaper and Ned Washington
Performed by Cassandra Wilson
Produced by Howard Shore
Cassandra Wilson appears courtesy of Blue Note Records

User Reviews

Standard plotting made better by cast

Nick Wells is a patient, professional, old school thief who works alone. A narrow escape convinces him that it is time to pack it up and settle down with his casual girlfriend Diane. However his middleman Max comes to him with a big score worth millions each and begins to try and convince him to do it. Acting as a downside to the job is Jack Teller, the guy with the insider information who Nick must work with as partners on the job. Even as trust is built between the three men, little things begin to be revealed that could put the whole job at risk.

Very few films are excellent in every regard, some have great plots but low production values where others have multimillion budgets but awful stories. The Score is rightly sold on it's cast for it as little else to offer an audience other than that. The plot is overly familiar and, while not bad, certainly doesn't hold any great surprises for anyone who's seen any `one last job' movies before. The telling is a little slow but holds the attention pretty well, while the job itself is unspectacular but enjoyable.

What makes it worth watching over many other similar twisty heist movies is the cast, who manage to make the material seem better by their inclusion. None of them really have anything special to work with but they all do well and do professional jobs. Norton is probably the standout of the film as he plays several types of character and is good in them all. De Niro does a reasonable job without being flashy or looking like he's making too much of an effort. Brando is OK but now always seems to have a half smile on his face to suggest he isn't taking anything seriously. I don't understand why Bassett bothered to be involved as her part is very small and doesn't add very much to the film – maybe it was a bigger part in the script?

Overall this film is basically nothing new and can be seen in many different forms at video stores world-wide. The thing that helps lift this a little above the rest is not the plot but the talented cast that have been assembled to run it. I enjoyed it and think it is worth watching for that.