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The Score (2001)
Directed by Frank Oz
Written by Daniel E. Taylor, Kario Salem, Lem Dobbs, and Scott Marshall Smith
Starring: Marlon Brando, Robert DeNiro, and Edward Norton
Nick Wells (DeNiro) is setting himself up to retire from a life of crime. When his longtime associate (Brando) asks him to take one more job, Nick reluctantly accepts. With an up-and-coming thief (Norton) partnering with him, Nick is hoping for one more clean getaway. This score could set him up for life, or land him in prison.
It took a team of writers to bring this from a concept to a screenplay. This team included Daniel E. Taylor (Rainbow Valley Heroes), Kario Salem (Chasing Mavericks), Lem Dobbs (Haywire), and Scott Marshall Smith (Men of Honor). With the screenplay in hand, Frank Oz (What About Bob?) set out as director. The cast in this film includes some of the great method actors of Hollywood. This includes the legendary Marlon Brando (A Streetcar Named Desire), Robert DeNiro (Jackie Brown), and Edward Norton (American History X). Sadly, this movie features the last performance of Marlon Brando’s career. (With the exception of a small part in Michael Jackson’s music video for You Rock My World.)
The story for this film is unfortunately unable to succeed in much more than a predictable crime drama. Despite great characters, the film doesn’t provide much mystery or intrigue. There are a couple of great moments, but there are too few to really bring this story up. Thankfully, there are some great performances from the stars that make this a little better.
The acting in this film is excellent. The performances of these three talented men really bring this story to life in exceptional fashion. While the story might be lacking, this film might be worth seeing thanks to great acting. Even in the end of his career, Marlon Brando seems to steal every scene he’s in. Norton and DeNiro are also really fun to watch in this one. The two of them share some great scenes throughout the movie.
It’s disappointing that a movie featuring three incredible actors falls a bit short due to the story. Fortunately The Score features enough good acting to redeem it a bit. If you’re a fan of the actors in this one, it’s worth sitting down and watching. I would also recommend this to fans of heist movies since this does have some interesting ideas. I give this one 3.3 out of 5 stars.
Did You See That One? 
Good review Jeff. It’s a very small, slight movie, but I think that’s what probably works best for it, so it can just allow the actors to do their work and be done with it.
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Thanks. I think the weakness of the story is evident throughout the movie. If three great actors can’t save it, nothing could.
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