The Score: [DVD] [2001] by Robert De Niro

In the heist thriller The Score director Frank Oz partners Robert De Niro with hotshot upstart Edward Norton and heavyweight legend Marlon Brando. De Niro plays a weary thief tempted by wily old associate Brando into, yes, one last job--a plan to steal a priceless sceptre from Montreal's Customs House. You'd have to be determinedly grumpy not to get half a kick out of Brando, De Niro and Norton--more than holding his own--coolly bouncing off one another in a Method paradise. Brando may be enormous and breathing heavily with every move, but his technique is as agile as it ever was; he still seems spontaneously clever. Oz doesn't have the most crackling visual style in the world: the film is far too smooth for tension and keeps tapping Howard Shore's music score to do most of the work in that department. The divine Angela Bassett is once again totally wasted in a 10-minute throwaway role as De Niro's girlfriend. The Score isn't anything new, and there isn't a single surprise, but if you're into this sort of thing you will respond to its polished familiarity. --Steve Wiecking, Amazon.com On the DVD: The Score on DVD offers a limited but interesting set of special features, from the 12-minute making of featurette--concentrating on the most enjoyable aspect of the film, the actors--to additional footage which shows De Niro and Brando's love of improvisation. Frank Oz and cinematographer Rob Hahn provide an insight into the intricacies of filmmaking in their commentary. The Dolby Digital soundtrack enhances the silence between the dramatic crescendos, and the quality of the 2.35:1 ratio picture gives depth to the many shadows in which the characters move. Subtitles include English for the Hard of Hearing. --Nikki Disney