"If somebody built it, somebody can unbuild it."

Happy New Year!

I think I’ve finally recovered from the holidays and although there were a few sleepless nights (sick dog), overall it was a pretty good Christmas break. I hope all my readers had a very Merry Christmas and are enjoying a wonderful New Year!

The Christmas holiday was particularly good to me as far as DVDs go. The collection continues to grow, nearly keeping pace with my obsession for good movies. One of the first that I watched in 2007 was The Score, starring Robert De Niro and Edward Norton. This is a great little caper film with some terrific acting and several entertaining twists.

Nick Wells (De Niro) is an aging jazz club owner and a professional thief. Priding himself on never taking a long-shot Wells is thorough and precise in his “business” and is strongly considering retirement. All that changes when he meets Brian (Norton), a mentally challenged janitor at the Montreal Customs house. Only Brian isn’t who he seems either and it isn’t long before the two team up to steal a priceless sceptre from the nearly impregnable customs house. Working with Wells' fence, played by Marlon Brando, the trio must get in, get out and get rich. It’s the classic caper formula and it works well in the case of The Score.

"It takes discipline because this whole game is one big long shot and if you don't have the discipline to stay away from the fliers or from the gambles or whatever else you wanna call a stupid move then, my friend, I'm afraid to say, one day you will go down. It's inevitable."

It may come as a surprise to some readers to learn this list of high profile actors (you can add Angela Bassett to the list, as Nick’s girlfriend) was directed by Frank Oz. You know, Miss. Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Grover, Yoda. That Frank Oz. Although this certainly isn’t the first time that he’s sat in the director’s chair. The Stepford Wives, What About Bob?, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Little Shop of Horrors are just a few of his other accomplishments. It should come as no surprise then to learn that Oz does a great job in bringing The Score together into a terrific heist film with some worthwhile acting and dialogue.

The single-disc DVD presents the film in an Anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen format, which is always a good thing. The transfer itself was quite good though I did notice a few scenes that appeared grainy. It’s hard to tell if that’s because of the transfer or because of the filters used during the scenes. The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is equally impressive. It won’t blow you out of your seat or anything but it does a nice job of setting the mood and presenting clear dialogue and effects. No complaints here.

"I like your place. You got good taste."

As for bonus features (and yes, I’ve actually watched most of them), there’s not much to tell. A “making-of” featurette is included but it’s really just 10 minutes of promotional material for the film. You know the stuff; actors talking about how great their characters are, the director talking about how great the film is, writers talking about how great the dialogue is, etc. There’s virtually nothing in there about how the film was actually made. A few deleted and extended scenes are also provided, including a rare look at De Niro and Brando improvising a scene several times. Most viewers would probably find this tedious but I was interested to get a glimpse two incredibly accomplished actors doing their thing. A theatrical trailer and director commentary round out the rest of the bonus material.

"When was it you started thinking you were better than me?"

If you enjoy a good heist film then you certainly can’t go wrong with The Score. Norton’s performance is worth it alone and there are enough gimmicks and twists to keep any caper fan happy. It should also be noted that The Score was Marlon Brando’s last, complete film. It’s definitely worth a look.

The Score gets 8 surveillance cameras (out of 10).
Stick to the plan and click here for ‘The Score’ trivia.