Movie review: "The Bank Job" (2008)

The gist: When a gang of short-order crooks are enlisted for a nothing-can-possibly-go-wrong bank robbery, they have no clue it'll wind up involving corrupt cops, pornographers, black activists, kinky pollies, spies and the British royal family!

Selling points: It actually happened! The crime took place in London in 1971 and was hastily hushed – this film claims to explain why (though aspects of the case have been fictionalised). Jason Statham and Saffron Burrows head a sterling cast.

It's kinda like: TV's "Life On Mars". While there's no time-hopping here, "T/B/J" captures the trappings and mood of the 70s just as faithfully. Also, any Statham actioner where he plays a gravel-voiced geezer with a gift for biff, ie. all of them.

Final word: The almost perfect crime.

[Australian cinema release date: July 31]