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With: Jason Statham, Saffron Burrows, Stephen Campbell Moore, Daniel Mays, James Faulkner, Alki David, Michael Jibson, Georgia Taylor, Richard Lintern, Peter Bowles, Alistair Petrie, Hattie Morahan, Julian Lewis Jones, Andrew Brooke, Rupert Frazer, Chris Owen, Keeley Hawes, Taelor Samways, Kasey Baterip, Don Gallagher, Craig Fairbrass, Gerard Horan, Robert Whitelock, David Suchet, Peter De Jersey, Johann Myers, Colin Salmon, Sharon Maughan, Ray Nicholas, Les Kenny-Green, James Kenna, Angus Wright, Mark Phoenix
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Written by: Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais
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Directed by: Roger Donaldson
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MPAA Rating: R for sexual content, nudity, violence and language
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Running Time: 111
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Date: 02/19/2008
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Heist of Life
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
Australian-born, 30-year veteran director Roger Donaldson (The Recruit, The World's Fastest Indian) has never found much of a cinematic voice, but his extensive experience serves him well on this finely tuned heist film, based on a true story. Jason Statham leads an ensemble cast as an amateur robber tricked into knocking over a London bank to retrieve some blackmail photos from a safe deposit box. At least five different teams -- crooked cops, revolutionaries, secret agents, politicians, shady businessmen, etc. -- desire different items from the heist, and Donaldson juggles it all with amazing dexterity; every face is unique and every plot turn is perfectly clear. The picture has an appealingly grubby, hand-made look, as if transported straight from the 1970s. Saffron Burrows co-stars.
Lionsgate released a nice, two-disc DVD set for their unexpected hit. Mr. Donaldson and Ms. Burrows sit for a commentary track alongside composer J. Peter Robinson. It's fairly low-key and routine, but Donaldson is a fairly relaxed, interesting guy. Other extras on the first disc include trailers, deleted and extended scenes (6 minutes, with and without commentary), and two featurettes (about 15 minutes each). The audio is mastered in either 2.0 or 5.1 Dolby, with optional English and Spanish subtitles. The second disc includes a digital copy of the film, which can be accessed via Mac or PC. In the Mac version, you open the file in iTunes, then enter a code provided inside the packaging.
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