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Three generations of movie actors are represented -- brilliantly, we might add -- by the starring triumvirate of this dazzling thriller, a slickly turned out caper film with a climactic plot twist worthy of Hitchcock. The Score’s "MacGuffin" (Hitch’s term for the person, goal, or object about which a thriller revolves) is a jewel-encrusted French scepter temporarily stored in a Montreal customs house. Robert De Niro portrays an aging professional thief who contemplates retiring to run his well-established nightclub and spend time with his long-suffering girlfriend (Angela Bassett). But along comes Marlon Brando -- De Niro’s silent partner, money launderer, and fence -- with a tantalizing story: He’s been asked by brash young thief Edward Norton, who spent months casing the customs house, to secure De Niro’s services in helping with the heist. It’s an irresistible proposition; but, potentially, a dangerous one. Muppeteer-turned-director Frank Oz (Bowfinger), best known for his comedies, demonstrates a surprising facility for caper-flick conventions. His camera peeks, darts, or swoops as demanded by the script, and he initially adopts a stately tempo that picks up as the scheme gradually unfolds and the robbery gets underway. It is the bravura performances of De Niro, Norton, and Brando, though, that really distinguish The Score from the dozen or so other films with similar plots and characters. These charismatic pros work together like the cogs in a well-oiled machine, and their ability to suck you into this otherwise routine story will make a dramatic third-act surprise even more satisfying than it might normally be. Oz and cinematographer Rob Hahn supply a feature-length commentary for the DVD, which also includes a "making of" documentary, additional footage, and theatrical trailers.

All Movie Guide

Three generations of method acting giants unite for this crime thriller written by Kario Salem and directed by Frank Oz. Robert De Niro stars as Nick Wells, an aging thief whose specialty is safecracking and who is on the verge of retiring to a life of ease, running his jazz club and romancing his girlfriend Diane (Angela Bassett). But before he can ride off into the sunset, Nick is pressured to do one last job by his mentor and business partner, a flamboyant and extravagant upscale fence named Max (Marlon Brando). Max is plotting the heist of the Montreal Customs House, and he's got a man on the inside, Jackie Teller (Edward Norton), a talented but volatile crook who has managed to ingratiate himself with the facility's staff as a fellow employee suffering from cerebral palsy. Jackie bristles at Nick's interference in "his" score, however, and threatens violence when it seems he's going to be cut out of the action. In the meantime, Nick grows increasingly ill at ease about the operation, as it violates his two most important dictums in thievery: always work alone and never pull a job in your own city. The part of Max in The Score was written specifically for Brando by screenwriter Salem, although the improvisational star and his director Oz reportedly clashed during filming. Karl Williams

Chicago Sun-Times

The best pure heist movie in recent years. Roger Ebert

Los Angeles Times

A top-drawer heist movie that ratchets up the tension inch by careful inch, The Score will remind you of classic caper films of the past, and that is a good thing. Kenneth Turan

Product Details

• UPC: 097363392149
• Source: PARAMOUNT
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: English, Français
• Subtitles: English
• Time: 2:04:00
• Sales Rank: 7,596

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• The Italian Job & Primal Fear & The Score
• The Italian Job / Primal Fear / The Score

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