The Score

You've seen variations on this plot several times before--a talented safe-cracker goes for one last big heist before retiring and butts egos with his cocky upstart partner. But you haven't seen it done with three of the greatest film actors alive, which is what makes the difference in this pulse-racing thriller that shatters the mold with its brilliant performances and entertaining twists. Robert De Niro is perfectly cast as the veteran thief, Edward Norton is inventive and absorbing as the egotistical man with the plan, and the matchless Marlon Brando steals scenes with whimsical aplomb (but somehow without upstaging anyone) as De Niro's wealthy, long-time accomplice and fence. Frank Oz (better known for weightless comedies like In and Out) serves up surprisingly tense and skillful direction here, raising The Score far above its workaday caper picture origins. Recommended. (R. Blackwelder)