The Score (2001), Starring Robert De Niro, Edward Norton and Marlon Brando

You may be aware that The Score stars Robert De Niro, Edward Norton and the late Marlon Brando (in his final role). You should therefore, if you are any kind of movie fan, want to see this, and will likely have cried, “3 of the world’s greatest actors on screen together in a crime caper?! Find me a copy by God, and spare no expense!” Surely, it must be brilliant. And is it? Well, no. But it doesn’t fall too far short, thankfully. If only they’d put Pacino, James Woods and Christopher Walken in too, and we could have died happy.

Nevertheless, there is much to admire here. Directed competently by Frank Oz, this is a fine example of that most beaten to death concept, the heist movie (see also The Thomas Crown Affair, Ocean’s Eleven, Out of Sight, Heat). Coming up with new ideas for such a familiar genre is no easy task, and although there may be nothing particularly new here, the execution, performances and suspense levels are sufficiently impressive for this to warrant a viewing.

In case we are in any doubt as to the theme of the film from the title, the opening scene shows us master thief Nick (De Niro) cracking a safe and making off with a fetching diamond necklace, which he then delivers to ageing and affable crime boss Max (Brando, lending his frankly unhealthy weight to proceedings). Nick lives in Montreal, owns a tasteful apartment and jazz club, and never pulls a job in his hometown, as he is a careful, methodical and downright polite chap who longs for an easy life with his woman (Angela Bassett).

Max, however, has a proposal. He wants Nick to team up with the brash but talented Edward Norton for one last job (a “score”, if you will) which involves breaking into Montreal Customs House (where Norton works, posing as a retarded janitor), to steal a priceless gold French sceptre.
Will De Niro and Norton have a fractious but productive partnership? Will Brando attempt to steal every scene he’s in from under the youngster’s noses? Will the climactic heist contain more tension and twists than you can shake a crowbar at? Of course it will, and therein lies the fun: we’ve seen this kind of thing plenty of times, but a well executed heist movie is welcome on anybody’s screen.

De Niro plays his role as a composite of many of the similar characters he’s played in recent years: world weary but wise criminals, with strong morals (of sorts) and quicksilver minds, as in Heat and Ronin. He plays it to perfection, and radiates quiet authority and confidence. You just know that, whatever the outcome, De Niro will somehow emerge looking good, and he’s unquestionably the hero of the piece. Norton also convinces as the headstrong but brilliant thief, and there are some nice moments when the sparks fly the two of them over the finer details of their master plan. Norton is the one who wants to impress with the big score, the instant jackpot, while De Niro, with a lifetime of theft under his belt, advises him sagely, “identify what you want in life, and spend the next 25 years getting it slowly, piece by piece”. Yet, as Norton points out, Nick appears to have what he wants, but is still about to commit a hugely risky and profitable robbery. Irony, eh?

Brando, while looking sadly old and weathered, delivers a brief performance that’s just on the right side of quirky. He seems perpetually amused with life and manages a twinkle in his eye and mischief in his voice. It’s also an undeniable treat to see De Niro (who of course played a younger version of Brando in Godfather II) finally opposite perhaps the most iconic actor of the 20^th century.

There are problems. Perhaps a movie with a cast like this can never live up to expectations, but there are some glaring errors of judgment. Angela Bassett is given absolutely nothing to do except provide De Niro with someone to share a glass of wine with when he’s not poking about in vaults. Her character is chronically underwritten, has pretty much no relevance to the story and it’s sad to see such a fine actress so obviously sidelined. There is also a stereotyped computer hacker character whom De Niro calls on to provide him with some security codes, who is clearly intended as a comedy turn but it is a lazy caricature. He lives with his mother, rambles and rants, opens his front door furtively, and plays video games while shouting, “You’re gonna DIE!” You get the idea.

More could also have been made of the relationship between De Niro and Norton. They only briefly discuss their lives in one scene in De Niro’s club, and elsewhere their conversation is limited to the job in hand. This may be intentional, but it’s disappointing that they’re not given a chance to mesh and bond in a more profound way.

What this movie does have is tension and style, especially in the last act, and the twists are wholly satisfying and suitably dramatic. You may or may not guess what they’ll be, but they’re expertly handled with plenty of flair. The movie builds up to the big job with its numerous scenes of planning and organisation so that the audience’s attention is firmly held, and the thrills duly deliver. De Niro, Brando and Norton give it their best, and emerge with credit from a movie which, if not the masterpiece we might have expected it to be, is still worth two hours of your time.