POSTER: THE BANK JOB

I love Jason Statham. The guy is just a great cinematic bad ass. His work in THE TRANSPORTER, CRANK, and LOCK STOCK/SNATCH all brim with machismo and energy. His new film, THE BANK JOB, which opens in early March, sounds like a gritty, low-budget ($20 million apparently), 70's style action flick. The director is the hit-or-miss Roger Donaldson (13 DAYS, SPECIES, NO WAY OUT, DANTE'S PEAK, THE WORLD'S FASTEST INDIAN) and the writers are the team of Dick Clement & Ian La Frenais (THE COMMITTMENTS, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE).

Per the IMDB, here's a synopsis:

"In September 1971, thieves tunneled into the vault of a bank in London's Baker Street and looted safe deposit boxes of cash and jewelry worth over three million pounds. None of it was recovered. Nobody was ever arrested. The robbery made headlines for a few days and then disappeared - the result of a 'D' Notice, gagging the press. This film reveals what was hidden for the first time. The story involves murder, corruption and a sex scandal with links to the Royal Family - a story in which the thieves were the most innocent people involved."

Sounds pretty cool to me. It's rated R, which is a step in the right direction, and the beautiful Saffron Burrows is Statham's romantic interest. And the poster gives off a leave-me-the-hell-alone vibe that I dig. Looking forward.