Score, The (2001)

This was really a good movie. I’ve never seen it before and I truly enjoyed it for anybody who likes a little bit of suspense and mystery. Here’s a good one for you.

Great DVD and happy to add it to our DVD collection. It arrived safely and played great in our DVD player.

I missed "The Score" when it was released probably because I thought Robert DeNiro would not be wise too soon after the smash "Heat." I was wrong. This is a classy, caper movie done brilliantly. In fact, this is a logical film, paring, if you will of "Heat," if you are saddened to see DeNiro go down. The casting is near-perfect. The cinematography is a wonder to behold with the interiors shaded, yet lit. What a bonus to find Brando still on his feet, playing a Sidney Greenstreet here. In this story, Nick Wells (DeNiro) must team with a brash, cocky, new-comer Jack Teller (Edward Norton) for Wells' last score. Several times Wells wanted to bail out but persisted. There are complications to this caper unforeseen, unless you are professional in your talent. Is there going to be a double-cross? Does love mess things up? Nick Wells owns a Jazz club and has a girlfriend (Angela Bassett) all lined up but that isn't a certainty either. The direction by Frank Oz keeps things well-paced from start to finish. If you, too, pay attention until the end you are rewarded, grasshopper!

Hollywood heavyweights Robert DeNiro, Marlon Brando, and Edward Norton together with Angela Bassett deliver very nice performances in this beautifully shot, nicely edited, and well directed film. The cinematography is beautiful and even without the cast, the visual elements alone -- the film noir lighting and atmosphere, the elegant and stylish set designs, the framing, and the editing -- make this a very enjoyable film. Although some reviewers comment that DeNiro is on "autopilot" or that he and Norton "phone in their performance," this is not true at all. DeNiro delivers a very smooth and appropriately subtle character without going "over the top". Likewise, Norton also gives a very good performance. Each character in each film should be viewed on its own merit. People who are disappointed because they don't see the "fireworks" of DeNiro in "The Deer Hunter" or Norton in "American History X", frankly, should go see those movies instead. DeNiro and Norton both are right on the mark for this movie. Marlon Brando brings comic relief with his superb timing and lines that land every time. Angela Bassett also is very good and shares the scenes nicely with DeNiro, which is no easy task. The heist is a genre that arguably has been overdone and is almost a cliche, but in this film, the direction is excellent and the editing, the pace, and the rhythm all support the suspense and the tension that kept me on the edge throughout. There are a few weaknesses, however. Although the music score is good at the beginning, by the third or fourth time the same melody appears, it stops being a motif and turns instead into a bit of a bore. A definite cliche that we can do without is the proverbial computer hacker. All in all, this film provides for a nice movie experience and is worth owning on DVD. A must see for DeNiro fans.

Robert DeNiro, as usual, makes the acting profession look as easy as a stroll down 5th Avenue, with yet another winning performance in "The Score" -- a crime saga that's definitely worth a look. You might find yourself moving closer and closer to the edge of your seat as this film's suspenseful climax slowly approaches. I think Director Frank Oz does a good job of gradually building the suspense as the movie progresses. Edward Norton, who has a "double" role (of sorts) in the movie, also gives a knockout performance. I found it worthwhile to replay several of Norton's hilarious scenes while he was in character as the half-witted janitor's helper. And I really liked Marlon Brando in this film. The then-76-year-old Brando, who portrays the slightly-quirky "Max", isn't too "heavy-handed" here; and comes through with a couple of knee-slapping lines of dialogue to boot during his brief amount of screen time. The DVD of "The Score" offers up mighty fine video and audio quality. The 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen picture looks just about perfect to my eyes. Extra Features include a "Making The Score" featurette (which lasts 12:25). This is a fairly standard Making-Of program (but still nice to have on the disc), with a few behind-the-camera glimpses of the actors at work. There are also three pieces of "Additional Footage" (total run time for these segments amounts to 7:58). The first one is extremely intriguing. It's a completely uncut, uninterrupted piece of film (5:05 in length) featuring Robert DeNiro and Marlon Brando discussing the heist and DeNiro's price for pulling off the job. We see three versions of this scene within this one single unbroken strip of film -- each of which is slightly different from the others, with these two great acting legends improvising a lot of the dialogue along the way. And each one of these differing "takes" is perfect. They never blow a word in any of the versions. The first version shown is the one that ended up in the final film; but the other two are just about as good (with Brando's rather racy remark in the last take being laugh-out-loud funny). The other two items listed under "Additional Footage" are alternate takes from two scenes in the film. Other DVD bonus materials include a Director's Commentary Track and the Theatrical Trailer. "The Score" boasts of three generations of acting talent coming together on the same movie -- a movie whose cast and story are both equally up to the task of entertaining anyone who pops in this DVD.

One of my favorite movies

I am from Montreal and the location of the movie has something to do with why I really like this movie - being able to relate to the setting of the movie is a real positive for me. This movie has an all-star cast - Robert DeNIRO, Ed NORTON, Marlon BRANDO and others - not a guarantee for a good movie, but usually is helpful in deciding whether to rent or buy a movie you haven't seen before. In this case, I had seen this movie several times before, always taking the opportunity to watch this movie when it was shown on television so I decided to buy this DVD so I could watch it at my leisure. This movie has everything - an all-star cast, very good story line, plot line and a very interesting/entertaining twist for the conclusion. As I mentioned earlier, worth watching over and over again.

Questo film mi è piaciuto moltissimo, sia per la trama non banale, sia per il finale con "colpo di scena".. ma soprattutto per la bravura degli attori.. De Niro e Norton spiccano come gemme rare! Lo consiglio assolutamente. Ringrazio il venditore, il DVD è arrivato in condizioni perfette! R.

good

Gran interpretación de Edward norton, de las mejores que he visto, y por supuesto de el Gran "Robert De Niro". Junto con Uno de los Nuestros, Casino y Heat, es una de sus mejores películas.

This is a good film with three class actors in it. Although Marlon Brando is not mentioned much in the film cover sleave he plays a good part as a man just trying to survive on his friends assistance and wants one more chance to retire with a bit of money behind him. I have never seen Edward Norton in a bad film and this is no exception. He has a good idea to make himself some money but cannot do it without Robert De Niro. De Niro plays a skilled pro who will do bank jobs, heists etc, on his own terms and has an air of been there and done it about him. A good twist at the end, I liked this film very much.