Thankfully, the first really good movie of 2008 is here, and it’s The Bank Job.

Based on a true story, the film stars Jason Statham plays Terry Leather, a London car dealer who owes a heavy debt to some local thugs. Terry has a history of petty crimes, but he’s trying to stay on the straight and narrow now that he’s married and a father. One day, he is approached by Martine Love (Saffron Burrows), a local model and long-time acquaintance who tells him that a local bank is going to have its alarms turned off for one whole week while a new security system is installed. She suggests they break into the vault. Because he’s in desperate need of cash, Terry agrees that this is a good idea. Together with his crew, they rent a storefront two spaces down the street, then dig a tunnel over to the bank, going under the store in the middle.

What Terry doesn’t know (initially) is that one of the safe deposit boxes contains some very incriminating photos of high-ranking political officials, and that the person who told Martine about the bank is an MI5 agent charged with getting them back. This is to be done covertly, without local law enforcement catching wind of the robbery and thus giving MI5 a black eye. The operation is blown by an unexpected source, and by the end, the pictures are being pursued by MI5, local cops, a pornographer (David Suchet), and the black activist (Peter de Jersey) who initially contracted to have them taken.

I’m a sucker for a bank heist movie. Always have been. What’s cool about The Bank Job is that it’s low tech. So many of the modern day heist flicks (like the Ocean’s movies) involve the characters battling high-tech systems, using computers, dodging lasers, and so on. Because it’s set in 1971, The Bank Job simply involves people digging a tunnel. While I’ve enjoyed a lot of the more technologically advanced heist movies, it’s definitely fun to see a more old-fashioned plan.

Hour 1 of the movie shows how Terry and his crew are drawn in and how they actually break into the bank. It’s all good stuff, but Hour 2 is where the story really shines. As all the various parties try to seize control of the incriminating pictures (and as some of those parties are willing to use deadly force to get them), Terry has to find a way to outsmart everyone. There’s excitement in watching him do this, but I also enjoyed how director Roger Donaldson (No Way Out) takes the time to show all the different interested parties tripping each other up. That’s where the suspense truly comes in. Everyone wants the pics for different reasons, and everyone has a unique way of trying to obtain them. Each time one element seems to have an advantage, another comes to undermine it.

Jason Statham is a fascinating actor. He’s got valuable charisma as one of the few actors whose macho persona seems genuine, as opposed to being an affectation. This makes him a welcome screen presence, yet all too often he makes cheesy, low-rent action movies like War, In the Name of the King, and the Transporter pictures. He deserves better, and this time he gets it. Statham reminds us that he can do more than sneer at the camera and execute some fight moves; he can also play an intelligent, sympathetic character. As someone who’s been disappointed by a lot of the man’s projects, I can safely say that this is the Jason Statham movie I’ve been waiting for.

The Bank Job is smart, and it’s exciting, and it’s fun at the same time. Donaldson has given the film a fast pace that still allows plenty of time for character and plot development. The performances are solid all around, and yes, Statham does get one substantial fight scene to please his hardcore action fans. All in all, this is a very satisfying movie.

( 1/2 out of four)

The Bank Job is rated R for sexual content, nudity, violence and language. The running time is 1 hour and 50 minutes.