Review of Score, The

Introduction

Brando, De Niro and Norton star ina suspense caper about stealing a Scepter worth $30m from the House of Customs. This standard heist thriller is elevated somewhat by the quality of the acting talent on display. Each gives a strong performance, but for me Norton is the standout here. Brando and director Oz had a few arguments regarding direction and it shows in a rather stilted performance from the old timer. De Niro plays his trademark high-class crim made so memorable in heat. Norton however turns from mild mannered simpleton to highly intelligent schemer with remarkable ease. His relationship with De Niro is fractious initially, but softens as they gain each other`s trust and respect.

So the acting is first rate, but this film doesn`t quite work, why not? Well, for me it has to be the "twist" at the end which fails to convince, combine this with three of the finest actors of their respective generations and I believe the viewer expects something more than they actually get.

It is actually an intelligent thriller and spends the majority of the time demonstrating the lengths you have to go to, in order to break into somewhere like this - the journey is more interesting than the final reward, and if you take this out of the film you will enjoy and find it was worth the investment. If not, don`t bother, it`s rather slow pace will probably have you reaching for the eject button on the remote.

Video

The film`s look takes its cue from the cool jazz score that infuses the movie. The pallet is set from the interior of Wells` (De Niro`s) Bar - rich browns layered with warm oranges and creams for interior scenes, exterior shots look very natural. I must say this DVD exhibits blacks excellently - check out Norton`s jacket when he`s in the bar with De Niro - this black would make space gulp! This gives the film a wonderfully rich quality, and makes dimly lit scenes bristle with detail - and a good job too as all the heist scenes are set in low light.

A good quality picture is necessary for a film like this, and this one passes the DVD mustard well.

Audio

Music composer Howard Shore gives us a nice jazzy score that blends well with the Montreal setting and tone of the film. The soundtrack doesn`t stretch itself much in either frequency direction, and keeps itself dynamically within the safe confines of midrange. This works excellently for the dialogue, which is clear and intelligible at all times. However bass freaks or surround junkies are going to be sorely disappointed. It is recorded in 5.1 but the .1 or rear effects are rarely used, providing little more than ambience or (in the case of the sub) occasional dramatic weight.

So the soundtrack (I keep wanting to say the "score" here, but I feel that may confuse matters) is similar to the film - a conservative effort made by a well respected composer. You expect more, but actually what you get is a very solid, competent soundtrack that doesn`t stretch itself unnecessarily.

Features

We get the trailer - again advertises the film perfectly, you know you`re going to see a competent, intelligently written suspense caper, with the lure of the three main parts making this an irresistable temptation.

Next we have the Making Of... done in an interesting way, and more detailed than most. Of course it advertises the film heavily, but there are some nice details to pick up here. It gets a little sycophantic at times "he was wonderful" "she is so dedicated" blah blah, but there is some genuine sentiment in aspects of this which I liked.

Like a lot about this film, the commentary is so-so. At the end of it you don`t feel as though you`ve wasted the time listening as there are many interesting tid-bits to glean. I liked the fact that director Oz mentions the fact that him and Brando had arguments on set; that sort of honesty gains a point in my books - it gives the rest of the commentary integrity and believability

Conclusion

Well I enjoyed this one, however I can see why some want to criticize this. Admittedly, it feels slow and the final twist is a little disappointing. But take the good points into consideration, a good story held together by a dream ensemble of actors with enough twists and turns to keep the viewer entertained. This is definitely worth a rental, but be warned - some of you may end up shelling out for this one also.