In 1971 there was a bank robbery in London that baffled the authorities and fascinated the public. Terry Leather (Jason Statham) was a small-time car dealer with debts from loan sharks who came collecting payment carrying tire irons.  He had a wife and two small children and wanted nothing more than to leave his shady past behind, when a former lady friend from the old neighborhood (Saffron Burrows) came up with a proposition that he could not refuse.

There was a fool-proof way to rob a London bank by breaking into its vault over the weekend and get away with the loot from all the safe-deposit boxes. What they didn’t know was that those very safe-deposit boxes that contained jewelry, gold and cash also hid secrets of powerful people, underworld gangsters, politicians and even the royal family. The heist was so daring, it made headlines all over England for a few days, until everything went quiet and reporting stopped.

Aside from The Bank Job being a true story, it’s also a feel-good movie about a few hapless underdog “criminals” who really are the most innocent in the whole scheme. The mobsters, the police, and the thugs who work for the royals are the real villains. I found myself rooting for the robbers very quickly and I enjoyed the movie tremendously.

What a nice, unexpected find.

Rating: ***