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
Edward Norton	...	Jack / Brian
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

Three generations of method acting giants unite for this crime thriller written by Kario Salem and directed by Frank Oz. Robert De Niro stars as Nick Wells, an aging thief whose specialty is safe-cracking and who is on the verge of retiring to a life of ease, running his jazz club and romancing his girlfriend Diane (Angela Bassett). But before he can ride off into the sunset, Nick is pressured to do one last job by his mentor and business partner, a flamboyant and extravagant upscale fence named Max (Marlon Brando). Max is plotting the heist of the Montreal Customs House, and he's got a man on the inside, Jackie Teller (Edward Norton), a talented but volatile crook who has managed to ingratiate himself with the facility's staff as a fellow employee suffering from cerebral palsy. Jackie bristles at Nick's interference in "his" score, however, and threatens violence when it seems he's going to be cut out of the action. In the meantime, Nick grows increasingly ill at ease about the ...

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Plot Keywords:

cellular phone | coffeeshop | confidence artist | thief | surveillance | 

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Taglines:

There are no partners in crime

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Country:

USA Germany Canada

Language:

English French

Release Date:

13 July 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cuenta final

Filming Locations:

Kahnawake, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$68,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$19,018,807, 15 July 2001, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$71,069,884, 14 October 2001

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$113,579,918, 31 December 2002

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures,Mandalay Pictures,StudioCanal

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ben Affleck was offered the role of Jackie, but he turned it down.

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Goofs

At the end of the movie, when Nick tells Jack that now every police in the city is looking for him, in that moment he has no way of knowing about Danny the manager discovering Jack in the server room. But he does know that Jack (Bryan) didn't finish his shift, which Nick told Jack earlier would blow Jack's cover.

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Quotes

Nick: If you want me to do this, you gotta pay me what's right. It's gotta be that way.
Max: [Indignant] I always pay you what's right.
Nick: You always think you do. I always know what you pay me. It's not always right.

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Score/Legally Blonde/Bully/Scary Movie 2 (2001)

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Soundtracks

Autumn Leaves
(Les Feuilles Mortes)
Music by Joseph Kosma
French lyrics by Jacques Prévert
English lyrics by Johnny Mercer
Performed by Miles Davis

User Reviews

Mastering suspense without violence

I found The Score a very rare treat in the era of Kill Bill 2 and Die Hard 9. In The Score there is plenty of suspense but very little violence. If I explain this too much, I will spoil.

Except for lots of swear words, this is clearly PG-13, and provides a strong lesson in how to craft an action movie without a lot of explosions and gunfights. Plus: three generations of Method actors is a real treat, with Brando playful and seemingly content, DeNiro cool beyond cool, and Norton riffing away the whole movie. [Regarding DeNiro: what's cooler than a) managing a sleek jazz club, in b) sleek Montreal, with c) Angela Bassett as your sleek flight attendant girlfriend?!] Rent it soon >> it's a sleeper.