Rating: 
Summary: Good actors in routine (if not downright derivative) plot
Review: If there's any redeeming feature to "The Score," it's the background of the actors playing principal parts: Marlon Brando, Robert DeNiro and Edward Norton. That's the good part. What is not-so-good is that this routine heist plot seems to have not a single working part that wasn't lifted from some other movie. I sat there going ("Oh, he's going to be richer than we think, just like in [Bond movie]." "Angela Bassett is going to [suffer] just like in that film with you-know-who." "They're going to use [high-tech-gadgetry] to put one over on the security guards." "We're heading for a [triple cross] just like that [movie David Mamet wrote]." When it gets this predictable you have to focus on something else, and I will say that the Montreal location shooting gave a good feel for the working-class side of the city. An over-cosmetized Brando, playing a fairly routine character fifteen years his junior, came out fairly well. (One wonders why he didn't take such roles while he was in his prime.) DeNiro was excellent, as was Norton, tho' Norton borrowed a major gimmick from [that film with Richard Gere]. I suppose it's entertaining enough but given the lack of originality I think this film is merely competent so I'm giving it three stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Classic plot, superb acting
Review: Movies like this are painful for me to watch. I don't handle suspense very well, and end up with knots and kinks all over my neck and back from the tension. But don't let this detract you from watching this movie! The plot is easy to understand and follow, and we have seen it many times: white glove robber is presented with the score of his lifetime, and he is paired up with a young, smart buck to do the job. Norton, De Niro and Brando are absolutely fabulous and it is their superb acting what gives the movie the richness it has. For those who like Jazz, there is the opportunity to see Cassandra Wilson, Charnett Moffett and Mose Allison perform a few scenes. Angela Bassett plays a very irrelevant part and has some cliche' lines along the way, but what can you do when you are in a movie with these three monsters? I am slightly disappointed about the final scene, because it was rather abrupt, but this does not detract from the previous 89 minutes of excellent cinematography.
Rating:
Summary: Bare Bones
Review: Although not for everyone, The Score will be a refreshing change of pace in a summer of mummies and talking apes. With a collection of three of the greatest actors in the last fifty years, De Niro, Brando, Norton, the film seems it could be about quantum physics and be interesting. Frank Oz, usually sticking to family comedies, provides an inside look at the great heist in a very non Hollywood genre film. With Montreal providing a great Euro-style backdrop, the film provides the audience with a script that is very unpredictable and provoking. While lagging at times, the movie provides the smarter audience with a refreshing look minus the stable shootout ending.
Rating: 
Summary: Suspenseful, and intense!
Review: I had high expectations of this film going into it and I was not let down. It was slow at first but it got better and better as the film wore on. Talk about climactic, the ending is very suspenseful and shocking. You think you know but you really have no idea what is going to happen. The film starts off slow giving you an understanding of who Robert De Niro's character is and what his intentions are for his future retirement from the robbery business. It slowly builds in suspense as De Niro's character is forced to make tough decisions about his life and this heist he has to pull off. One of the best scenes is where De Niro and Norton's character are meeting two guys in a park to exchange information about a fortress's security system. One of the guys they are talking to becomes a little unstable and almost shoots Norton's character Jack in the chest. This scene was very intense and captivating. Another great part about the movie is the relationship between De Niro and Norton's characters who seem to be testing eachother the whole time to see which one is the smarter more intelligent thief. You think one is smarter then something else happens and then the other man is the more clever thief until the end where you really know "the score" and who is the smarter man. And to find that out you'll just have to see this picture. I strongly believe that you won't be let down by the outcome of the film. It's got a great plot, excellent performances by all the actors, and it is also very funny. Just go see it!
Rating:
Summary: Good Movie
Review: This is a good movie. You should see it. Robert Deniro makes an exelent thief.
Rating:
Summary: Norton is a great actor
Review: I went into this movie with low expectations but I thought it was great. De Niro and Norton team up to break into a highly secure building (Montreal Customs building) to steal an antique worth tens of millions. They make a very good pair on screen. De Niro plays the experienced veteran looking to do his 'last hit' before he retires to an easier life running his jazz club in Montreal and living with his supersexy girlfriend (Angela Bassett). Norton plays a brilliant young counterpart who may be too clever and too eager for his own good. The techniques they use to break into the safe area are fun to watch (are they realistic?) and that sequence is very suspenseful since they may be caught at any second by a web of security cameras. De Niro is great as you would expect. Norton who was outstanding in the movie 'Keeping the Faith' proves his mettle again. He's one of the great actors out there and shows that he is versatile enough to take on any role whether it is a comedy, drama or thriller.
Rating:
Summary: Good cast, somewhat predictable.
Review: I had very high expectations for this movie, which may be why I wasn't completely satisfied after watching it. The cast is very strong and everyone fits their role, from De Niro as the current best heist man, Norton as the bold up and comer, Brando as the aging veteran, and even Angela Bassett as the girlfriend who wants to settle down. The three men are considered by some to be the greatest actors of their generation. I do not argue this point, however, I wish the movie was a little less predictable. The premise was Brando approaches De Niro with a big job that, unfortunately, takes place in De Niro's hometown. De Niro gets hooked up with Norton who is the man on the inside. There are a couple bumps in the road (perfect time to relieve yourself if you are in the theater) before the heist goes down. There is a little twist at the end that is very very little. Any avid movie-goer should figure this one out. This movie is worth a look and is by no means bad, but with the blockbusters coming out this year, this film may end up being a mere ripple in the pond.
Rating:
Summary: We Need More Films Like This...A Classic
Review: Lost in all of the movie spectacles that attempt to dazzle us with special effects this Summer, find "The Score". I took my son to see this film last night and it is made for the classic movie fan. You need lots of adrenaline and patience as this flick holds you on the edge of your seat. How can you miss with leading roles by Robert De Niro, Edward Norton (spectacular), Angela Bassett and..........and....and...YES - Marlon Brando? If you like movies that start slow and build to a climax that will blow you away...go see "The Score". I can't even begin to rate it with such summer flicks as "Planet of the Apes", "Jurassic Park 3" or "Final Fantasy" - there is no fantasy here. This is pure storyline and acting. De Niro is awesome. Brando is riveting...and Norton has never been better. I don't even want to tell you the plot. Go blindly into the theatre and see this film. When you leave you will have been through an emotional experience you've never had before. ... "The Score" gets a 10 (on a scale of 10).
Rating:
Summary: De Niro, Norton "Score" Big
Review: No matter who you are, where you go or what you do, it seems that life is always waiting with a new lesson to teach you; sometimes it's a matter of experience versus youth, other times it's just a matter of having the sense to follow your own instincts. Whichever it is, sometimes it can get really interesting-- to say the least-- especially when it involves a couple of interesting guys; one who just doesn't know enough, while the other violates a cardinal rule he's already learned but chooses to ignore. And the fact that they've been brought together by a third party who has his own agenda makes it even better, which is what happens in "The Score," directed by Frank Oz and starring Robert De Niro, Edward Norton, Marlon Brando and Angela Bassett. Nick Wells (De Niro) owns a jazz club in Montreal; he's a solid, tax-paying everyday citizen. He's also never met a safe he couldn't crack. At least in his own territory. Part of his success is that he's smart-- his extracurricular activities always take him across the border, to either the U.S. or Europe. At home, he's clean. And that's his cardinal rule: You live in your own country, but take down scores elsewhere. It's one of life's lessons that has served him well. One day, however, his associate, Max Baron (Brando) approaches him with an offer he can't refuse. It involves the Customs House right in his own backyard, Montreal. Max, it seems, has an inside guy there, Jackie Teller (Norton), who knows the layout and also knows of a certain item kept in a certain safe that if appropriated could set the three of them up for life. Or perhaps send them up for life. And that's the rub. When does the value of the score finally outweigh the risks? It's a question Nick has to answer, and quickly, because he's the key to the whole operation and Max is in a hurry. Jackie can get them in, but Nick's the only one who can open the safe. So the ball is in his court. But the risk is huge, and Nick's got a lot at stake-- like everything he's worked his whole life for, as well as the woman he loves, Diane (Angela Bassett), whom he's been keeping in the wings for too long already. It's a tough decision, but this one more score would set him up for life, and it's practically a sure thing. And who can pass up a sure thing, even if it is one of the basic lessons life teaches everyone somewhere along the line: There's no such thing as a sure thing, and If it looks too good to be true, it always is. Working from a clever and exacting screenplay (by Kario Salem, Lem Dobbs and Scott Marshall Smith), director Oz (with some uncredited help from De Niro) sets the stage for the caper nicely, giving you time to get to know the characters and what makes them tick. From the opening he sets a deliberate pace which works perfectly for this character and dialogue driven story, because it's the people and the decisions they make that gives what they do an impact, and ultimately heightens the tension that builds quickly as the crime is being played out. Throw in the fact that there's a couple of unexpected twists along the way, and it makes for quite a show. Of course, having one of the most exciting casts ever to be assembled for a movie didn't hurt Oz's efforts either. Having three of the greatest actors of their respective generations together in a film, then supplementing them with the beautiful and talented Angela Bassett takes this project to a level for which a category hasn't even been created yet. With another impeccable performance, De Niro continues to delight and amaze. He can take a basically regular guy like Nick (okay, he's got some interesting habits, like cracking safes, but other than that he's just another guy) and make him unique and interesting, beginning with the attitude and working his way from the inside out to create a complete character, emotionally and physically. It's that chameleon quality, that ability to disappear so completely inside the character that sets De Niro apart from just about every other actor you'll ever see. And, ironically, one of them just happens to be his co-star here. His name is Brando. Since he began his career, Marlon Brando has been larger than life and an actor's actor. He's always been a character actor in leading roles, but now, with age, his ability to create a genuine character, to bring someone to life on the screen, is better than ever. There's a richness to his portrayal of Max that is totally affecting; he's become the Sydney Greenstreet of the new millennium, and hopefully we'll see a lot more of him in roles like this one. And proving that he can more than hold his own with the giants of his profession, Edward Norton turns in a credible and totally convincing performance as Jackie. Of all of the stars of this generation, Norton just may be the heir apparent to his co-stars here. It's a rare treat to see three actors of this caliber together, and that alone qualifies this film for a footnote in cinematic history. Angela Bassett makes the most of her limited screen time, meanwhile; her scenes with De Niro really click, and there's some undeniable chemistry between them. Her part may be fairly small, but it's the relationship between Nick and Diane that enhances the drama of Nick's final decision, and that makes it a big part of "The Score," and one of the reasons this is one film you do not want to miss.
Rating:
Summary: DeNiro plays DeNiro...
Review: ....but that ain't at all bad. The three other principals--Brando, Norton, Bassett(she DOES, trust me)--deliver big time, baby! The pacing ain't exactly for those folks who require pyrotechnics in every scene, but what that means is that ya gotta pay attention to details--kinda like the master safecracker of the story does. I got a huge kick out of seeing the scenes of DeNiro and Brando. Now, if someone could figure out how to get those two AND Pacino in a new film....that would be, like, so sweet....
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