With no spectacular action sequences, explosions or extreme violence, "The Score" differs from most modern heist movies by focusing instead on its characters and the process they go through to pull off a high-value robbery from a heavily guarded location that's generally considered to be impenetrable. The challenge they take on is enormous and the problems they encounter generate plenty of suspense which becomes most intense during the actual heist when predictably, not everything goes according to plan.
During a jewellery robbery that he carries out in Boston, expert safe-cracker Nick Wells (Robert De Niro) comes uncomfortably close to being caught and becomes convinced that, after many successful years as a thief, the time has come for him to retire. Back home in Montreal, Nick's old friend and regular fence Sam (Marlon Brando) tells him about a complication that's arisen in capitalising on the stolen jewels and encourages him to get involved in one last job. The heist he's got in mind, involves the theft of a priceless sceptre which is kept in the basement of the Montreal Customs House and the payment that Nick would receive would be enough to enable him to pay off the mortgage on the jazz club he runs and leave him enough money to retire in comfort with his long-time girlfriend Diane (Angela Bassett).
Nick is an extremely cautious man who's survived in his business by always planning meticulously, working on his own and never carrying out robberies in Montreal, so he's not enthusiastic about getting involved in a crime that would require him to depart from at least two of his regular practices. His accomplice on the proposed heist would be an arrogant young man called Jack Teller (Edward Norton) who he took an instant dislike to after Jack had approached him on the street posing as a guy who was mentally handicapped. After much consideration, Nick comes to the conclusion that the prospect of earning millions of dollars on this final caper would make the risks involved worth taking and so he agrees to Sam's suggestion.
For some weeks, Jack had worked as an assistant janitor at the Montreal Customs House where his impressive ability to pose as a mentally handicapped person had enabled him to win the trust of everyone he'd come into contact with and also, at the same time, to thoroughly case the joint without raising any suspicions. After an extensive period of planning, the heist goes ahead but some unforeseen developments that take place whilst the robbery is in progress, cause complications that lead to a rather different outcome than was envisaged in the gang's plan.
"The Score", which has a very run-of-the-mill plot, is far more enjoyable than it would otherwise be because it's set in Montreal and features three great actors in the lead roles. De Niro is convincing as the world-weary Nick, Marlon Brando is excellent as the man who pulls the strings and Edward Norton is terrific both as an edgy presence when he's playing Jack and also as the character he poses as when he's carrying out his duties as a janitor. As well as the nature of the plot, certain scenes induce feelings of deja vu as, for example, the interrupted robbery at the beginning of this movie is similar to that at the beginning of "Absolute Power" (1997) and Edward Norton's dual role is reminiscent of his performance in "Primal Fear" (1996). It's certainly derivative but ultimately "The Score" is rescued by the quality of its cast and the tension that builds up so well when the heist is in progress.
During a jewellery robbery that he carries out in Boston, expert safe-cracker Nick Wells (Robert De Niro) comes uncomfortably close to being caught and becomes convinced that, after many successful years as a thief, the time has come for him to retire. Back home in Montreal, Nick's old friend and regular fence Sam (Marlon Brando) tells him about a complication that's arisen in capitalising on the stolen jewels and encourages him to get involved in one last job. The heist he's got in mind, involves the theft of a priceless sceptre which is kept in the basement of the Montreal Customs House and the payment that Nick would receive would be enough to enable him to pay off the mortgage on the jazz club he runs and leave him enough money to retire in comfort with his long-time girlfriend Diane (Angela Bassett).
Nick is an extremely cautious man who's survived in his business by always planning meticulously, working on his own and never carrying out robberies in Montreal, so he's not enthusiastic about getting involved in a crime that would require him to depart from at least two of his regular practices. His accomplice on the proposed heist would be an arrogant young man called Jack Teller (Edward Norton) who he took an instant dislike to after Jack had approached him on the street posing as a guy who was mentally handicapped. After much consideration, Nick comes to the conclusion that the prospect of earning millions of dollars on this final caper would make the risks involved worth taking and so he agrees to Sam's suggestion.
For some weeks, Jack had worked as an assistant janitor at the Montreal Customs House where his impressive ability to pose as a mentally handicapped person had enabled him to win the trust of everyone he'd come into contact with and also, at the same time, to thoroughly case the joint without raising any suspicions. After an extensive period of planning, the heist goes ahead but some unforeseen developments that take place whilst the robbery is in progress, cause complications that lead to a rather different outcome than was envisaged in the gang's plan.
"The Score", which has a very run-of-the-mill plot, is far more enjoyable than it would otherwise be because it's set in Montreal and features three great actors in the lead roles. De Niro is convincing as the world-weary Nick, Marlon Brando is excellent as the man who pulls the strings and Edward Norton is terrific both as an edgy presence when he's playing Jack and also as the character he poses as when he's carrying out his duties as a janitor. As well as the nature of the plot, certain scenes induce feelings of deja vu as, for example, the interrupted robbery at the beginning of this movie is similar to that at the beginning of "Absolute Power" (1997) and Edward Norton's dual role is reminiscent of his performance in "Primal Fear" (1996). It's certainly derivative but ultimately "The Score" is rescued by the quality of its cast and the tension that builds up so well when the heist is in progress.