March 17, 2008

The Bank Job...

The Bank Job is an illicit heist thiller film that tells the story of real life scandal in London 1971. For the first time, the story gets told through an anonymous source who constructs the details of the infamous Lloyd's Bank robbery on Baker Street. The M15 (the UK's military intelligence security agency), found a group of amateur thieves to break into the bank vault of security deposit boxes mainly to obtain scandalous photos of members of the royal family (this is suggested to be Princess Margaret) taken by a black power leader Michael de Freitas (Michael X). He held these for blackmail purposes and avoided charges for many years that would have included alleged murder charges along with rackateering, drug smuggling, prostitution and gambling. He was supported heavily by the finances of John Lennon. When the robbery was semi-successfully executed, a few of the members were hunted by a crooked club-owner whose deposit box contents included a ledger with details of paying off several police force members for years. Two of the thieves were murdered and amnesty by the remainder was sought (although it is said by various sources some were arrested), a deal was struck with the M15 agency to secure the new identities of the 4 remaining, the ledger was given to authorities leading to many arrests of corrupt officers, a D-notice government gagging order was issued to protect members of the British royal family and senior members of the parliament that were exposed in involvement with the local brothel. Michael X was found in Trinidad in 1972 where he started a commune called the Black House, when raided and burned down, the police found the bodies of Joseph Skerrit and Gale Ann Benson (a spy). Michael X fled, but was found shortly after and hung. The D-Notice stopped the story in it's tracks, as it was never published and told before now. The speculated $4M was never recovered and the contents of over 100 safety deposit boxes were never claimed. The robbery became known as the "walkie-talkie bank job" because of intercepted communications by a radio ham, between the robbers. They were able to break into the vault, because the floor was not wired to the alarm system, as it was thought to be impenetrable. Eight tons of rubble were excavated and left behind in the shop when they escaped, with the contents of 268 deposit boxes. The criminal file of Michael X is sealed until 2057 and the whereabouts of thieves unknown. An interesting film, as it exposes the corrupt conspiracy cover-up of the British government. With Jason Statham, as the lead it has an Italian Job meets Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels feel to it.

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