Blu-ray Review – Bank Shot

While George C. Scott was already a respected actor who consistently worked in Hollywood, his post-"Patton" run of pictures reads like a to-do list of genres and career opportunities that couldn't be passed up. After famously refusing at accept the Academy Award for his turn as the iconic WWII general, Scott was transformed into a bankable star, filling the 1970s with oddball career choices, perhaps to keep himself (a notoriously humorless man) entertained. One of the silliest professional detours is 1974's "Bank Shot," which is actually an adaptation of a Donald E. Westlake novel, with the central character John Dortmunder transformed into Walter Upjohn Ballentine, set loose in a bank caper that's all about broad antics. "Bank Shot" is a strange update of classic comedies from the 1930s, with a sizable cast supporting Scott as he strives to play weird as quietly as possible, letting the rest of the feature lose itself to periodic chaos and exaggerated performances. The film doesn't always come together as a hilarious joyride of colliding personalities, but it does find occasional inspiration, especially when it explores its snappy timing in full. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com