The Godfather it isn't, but when Brando and DeNiro team up, something has to go right.
Throw Edward Norton into the mix and a movie should seemingly make itself. Unfortunately, movie making chemistry is never so straightforward.
The Score isn't by any standards a bad film, but it does fail to live up to the expectations of what it could have been.
The plot focuses on a master theif (DeNiro), looking towards retirement only to be blackmailed by an up and comer in the crime world (Norton) into carrying out one last heist.
DeNiro's character is very one dimensional, cold and calculating to such an extent that the audience has difficulty relating to his dilemma. The entrance of Norton however fills out the film, bringing a much needed dose of intensity into the second half of the movie, while Brando as De Niro's mentor peppers the drama with comic relief.
Though initially slow, the film is held together by the glue of its fine cast and a well-written script, culminating in a suspenseful final scene that makes the initial muddling worth bearing.
