The Score (2001)

It's a pleasant surprise to find a movie in the middle of the summer that boasts virtually no special effects, gunshots or any other whiz bang goodies meant to draw us into a theater. Instead here is a movie that boasts a good plot, good characters and a wealth of acting talent to make it all work. More please.

Robert De Niro stars as Nick, a safe cracking thief who has carefully planned his way through a quarter century career in a high risk occupation. He's ready to retire and settle down with his girlfriend. The only problem is that his long time fence Max(Marlon Brando) comes to him with the biggest opportunity of Nick's career. He offers a job that could bring them both millions and all Nick has to do is work with some hot shot kid he doesn't know. Being the cautious sort, he doesn't want any part of it. But then Jackie, that hot shot kid, shows up and fakes out Nick with a mentally challenged act he's perfected. This further sets of Nick and only through considerable persuading is he willing to even consider taking the job.

A priceless antique French scepter was accidently found while being smuggled into Canada. Now it sits in the customs house in Montreal but only lightly guarded because no one knows how valuable it is. Jackie works at the customs house as a janitor under the guise of Brian, a young man who seems to suffer from some form of mental handicap. The guards and the head janitor all love Brian, which gives Jackie considerable leeway to map out their security system. Nick and Jackie work out a careful plan for Jackie to disarm parts of the system for Jackie who will slip in and break open the safe to retrieve the scepter.

The movie works well because it slows unrolls the plot only as much as we need to know at any time. The characters of Nick, Jackie/Brian and Max are all well established. So they simply follow their natures through this story, allowing it arrive at a logical and satisfying conclusion. Director Frank Oz does a great job of building tension to frequently uncomfortable levels as the scheme unfolds. It's all handled so efficiently and professionally that it makes such things seem easy but from watching other movies we know it is anything but easy.

The acting is all top notch. Robert De Niro always seems to slip easily into roles and can make subtle turns on his well known style to add new depth to characters. He probably made work very easy for Oz by establishing the character through endless minor movements and expressions, leaving the director free to worry about other things. When I say Nick is cautious I can't emphasize that trait enough. Every move he makes seems to be extraordinarily calculated. This is a man who does nothing without excessive planning. De Niro makes that work by giving us the constant impression that the gears are turning furiously inside his head to calculate his next move or comment.

Ed Norton is easily as good and creates a character that is almost a perfect negative of De Niro's character. Nick is cautious and quiet while Jackie is mercurial and flashy. Both characters are full of talent but what makes their interaction fascinating is seeing how the contrasting styles produce different results. The movie could have gotten boring easily without a firebrand like Jackie to play off the ultra-cautious Nick. Norton provides the needed spark to keep the viewer engaged but doesn't overwhelm the story in a show of grandstanding.

It would be easy to forget Brando with those other two hogging the bulk of the screen time but he turns in a nicely subtle performance that makes his character noteworty despite being a lesser character. His character seems to be constantly hinting at something larger that makes him interesting, even if only as a mystery.

The screen writers owe Angela Bassett an apology though. Frankly it's hard to conceive of a more thinly written female character without stopping to consider the strippers that appear in the background of any movie with a scene set in a strip club. Give Ms. Bassett a big round of applause for trying to do something with the role though. She plays Nick's girlfriend, who he loves enough to consider retiring. If you watch the movie and come away impressed with the character, you have her and her alone to thank. She oozes charm and sexiness in her precious few moments on screen.

This isn't a perfect movie but it's an awfully satisfying one. Consider it the antidote to the feast of pyrotechnics that makes up the typical summer movie. That's not to say that there's anything wrong with the flashy stuff. It just nice to have something of substance from time to time.

- John Shea