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 | hanging from the ceiling | thief | 

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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

Marlon Brando took to calling Director Frank Oz "Fozzy" and "Miss Piggy" during this movie. Oz has been the voice of Fozzy Bear and Miss Piggy in the various Muppet productions since the beginning. Brando's hazing of Oz over his work with the Muppets got so bad, that Robert De Niro was forced to direct Brando instead, with Oz giving him instructions via headset.

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Goofs

If Jack were caught, which he might well be, he would have every interest in telling all. Nick would have trouble explaining where he got six million from. He appears to be unknown to the local police, having always done crimes elsewhere.

Being a careful planner, Nick should have told Jack he would get a share and be looked after in prison if he were caught.

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Quotes

Nick: When was it you started thinking you were better than me?

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Connections

References Midnight Run (1988)

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Soundtracks

Easy Living
Written by Leo Robin and Ralph Rainger
Performed by Clifford Brown
Courtesy of Blue Note Records, a division of Capitol Records, Inc., under license from EMI-Capitol Music Special Markets

User Reviews

Good acting in a dull story

Naturally, Robert DeNiro and Edward Norton can't DO a bad job, but the story here is kind of hackneyed and clichéd. DeNiro replays his role from HEAT as a veteran thief willing to retire for his beautiful girlfriend (a pitifully small role for Angela Bassett). Norton plays the young punk wanting to learn at the master's feet. This movie could have been a lot smarter and a lot more intriguing, but it just sticks to the lowest denominator. However, I do now want to visit Montréal, because this film makes it look absolutely beautiful!