The Bank (2001) |
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The Bank (2001) |
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| BUY IT |
| General | Extras | ||
| Category | Thriller |
Main Menu Audio & Animation Audio Commentary Deleted Scenes-2 +/- director's comm +/- editor's comm + intro Featurette-Original Concept; Production Design; Sound Design Featurette-Original Music; Computer Graphics Interviews-Crew-John Maynard (Producer) Theatrical Trailer TV Spots-4 Gallery-The Bank Book with intrduction Notes-Reviews Trailer-Soundtrack Featurette-AFI Awards - Best Original Screenplay Featurette-IF Awards - Best Editing Featurette-Mr. Ikegami's Flight + introduction Featurette-Rust Bucket + introduction Trailer-Shadow Of The Vampire; Mullet; La Spagnola; Pi Easter Egg-2 |
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| Rating |
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| Year Of Production | 2001 | ||
| Running Time | 99:38 (Case: 102) | ||
| RSDL / Flipper | RSDL (82:48) | Cast & Crew | |
| Start Up | Menu | ||
| Region Coding | 1,2,3,4,5,6 | Directed By | Robert Connolly |
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Studio
Distributor |
 Madman Entertainment |
Starring |
David Wenham Anthony LaPaglia Sibylla Budd Steve Rodgers Mitchell Butel Mandy McElhinney Greg Stone Kazuhiro Muroyama |
| Case | Click | ||
| RPI | $34.95 | Music | Alan John |
| Video | Audio | ||
| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None |
English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) |
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| Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 1.78:1 | ||
| 16x9 Enhancement |
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| Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
| Original Aspect Ratio | 1.85:1 | Miscellaneous | |
| Jacket Pictures | Yes | ||
| Subtitles | None | Smoking | Yes |
| Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
| Action In or After Credits | No | ||
The Bank is an Australian movie about a man who claims to be able to mathematically predict stock market movements, and the efforts of a large bank to implement his system.
Jim Doyle (David Wenham) is a mathematician who believes he has nearly developed a computer system for accurately predicting the movements of stock markets. Jim presents his research to Centabank in an effort to gain further funding and access to the resources that he requires to complete his work. Luckily Centabank CEO Simon O'Reilly (Anthony LaPaglia) is able to see the possible potential of Jim's work and he decides to hire him. Jim must complete his research on the Bank Trading Simulation Experiment (B.T.S.E.) system and convince the bank that it works, but he has another motivation and a hidden personal agenda.
This movie received wide critical acclaim when released and was nominated for nine AFI awards. This film is not your traditional quirky Australian comedy and proves that the local industry is able to produce intelligent thrillers that despite their relatively small budgets are able to compete with those produced internationally.
The transfer is presented at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and it is 16x9 enhanced.
The transfer is consistently sharp throughout but it is slightly soft when compared to the razor sharp transfers of other high budget modern films. This is due to the original shooting style and choice of film stock and is never distracting to the viewer. Excellent levels of shadow detail may be seen throughout the film. During a number of segments, sections of the image appear as solid blacks with very little or no details visible, but it was intentionally shot this way. No low level noise was detected at any stage throughout the transfer.
The film is divided into a number of different locations and time periods. Each of these different sections display a different colour palette and this is discussed during the director's commentary. The majority of the film is set in the city and this location is focused around a grey and metallic colour scheme. The scenes shot in the country locations have a earthy brown and green palette while the flashbacks and computer graphics also have their own colour design. This range of colours works well with the on-screen action and is always accurately reproduced.
No MPEG artefacts were detected at any stage during the transfer.
A small number of aliasing artefacts may be seen during the transfer. Some instances of this may be seen at 6:59, 20:02, 28:09, 69:56, 75:02, 78:36 and 91:03. A single moiré artefact may be seen at 14:01. All of these artefacts are quite minor and are only slightly distracting to the viewer.
A number of film artefacts were detected during the transfer and are unfortunately more common than I would have expected from a new film. Some examples of these artefacts may be seen at 15:20, 17:45, 18:02, 18:19, 19:43 and 24:00. All of these artefacts are quite minor but their presence is still slightly distracting.
During a small number of scenes, a small amount of telecine wobble may be seen after an edit point. Examples of this may be seen at 12:36 and 14:48 where the image bounces slightly just after the edit point. This is the result of a physical edit of the film causing the stock to move slightly in the telecine. Luckily this only occurs in a small number of locations and is not distracting.
No subtitles are provided with this transfer.
The layer change is located at 88:48 during a natural fade to black partway through Chapter 16. This change is well placed and is unlikely to be detected by most viewers.
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The dialogue is always clear and easy to understand at all times.
No dropouts or problems with audio sync were detected at any time during the transfer.
The score by Alan John is classically based and also incorporates a number of choral pieces. This score works well with the on-screen action and provides a balance to the technology-focused sections of the film and the overall sound design.
The surround and subwoofer channels are used effectively to create an enveloping sound field. This is not an aggressive mix but the film does not require that with the final sound design working very effectively with the visuals provided.
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The animated menu is presented at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and it is 16x9 enhanced.
During this feature-length scene-specific commentary, director Robert Connolly discusses the locations, casting, sets, actor's performances, the script and why the production was moved from Sydney to Melbourne. This commentary is quite informative and provides some interesting insights into the making of the film.
Two deleted scenes (1:26 and 0:33) are included in this section. These scenes are introduced (1:34) by editor Nick Meyers and are presented with the original production audio as well as separate commentary tracks by Robert Connolly and Nick Meyers.
This extra examines the storyboards for the initial opening scenes from the movie and discusses how the scene was modified as shooting progressed.
Director Robert Connolly and production designer Luigi Pittorino discuss the look and style of the sets and locations and they examine some specific examples.
Robert Connolly and sound designer Sam Petty discuss the influences for the sound design and examine a single scene demonstrating the different layers that are added to it to create the final result.
Robert Connolly and composer Alan John discuss the influence of Hitchcock scores and the choice of classical and choir pieces.
During this extra, visual effects designer Sheldon Gardner and Robert Connolly discuss the use and design of the numerous computer sequences, the opening titles and the movie website.
During this segment, producer John Maynard discusses the promotion of the film, determining the target audience and creating the press materials.
This trailer is presented with a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and is 16x9 enhanced.
This is a collection of four TV spots. Two thirty second segments and two 15 second segments are included and are presented at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 with a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack.
Highlight the Julia Set graphic on the trailers menu to display an image of Melbourne International Film Festival Premiere tickets and promotional items.
This section contains an introduction (0:30) by John Maynard where he discusses a project to create a book from images taken throughout the making of the film by four different artists. Examples of the images from each of the different artists are displayed on a single page.
This is a collection of four pages of quotes from various reviews of the film.
This is a television commercial promoting the CD soundtrack of the film.
This is the presentation and acceptance of the AFI award for best original screenplay. The award is presented by Ben Mendelssohn and is accepted by Robert Connolly. The footage is displayed in a small window at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 and not a full screen transfer.
This is the presentation and acceptance of the Atlab IF Award for best editing. This footage is also presented like the previous award ceremony footage in a small window on screen.
Highlight the Mandelbrot Set graphic to display a page with promotional postcards.
Multiple page biographies are provided for the following cast and crew members: Anthony LaPaglia, David Wenham, Sibylla Budd, Steve Rodgers, Robert Connolly and John Maynard.
This is a short film by director Robert Connolly who also provides a short introduction (0:22). The short film is presented with a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack at an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and it is not 16x9 enhanced. A set of white English subtitles are burned into the image.
This is another short film by director Robert Connolly who again provides a short introduction (1:09). The short film is presented with a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1.
This trailer is presented with a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1.
This trailer is presented with a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack at an aspect ratio of 2.35:1.
This trailer is presented with a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1.
This trailer is presented with a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
This disc does not appear to be currently available in other regions.
The Bank is an excellent Australian thriller that should appeal to a wide audience and proves that the Australian film industry is able to produce successful films other than quirky comedies.
The video transfer is of very high quality but does show more film artefacts than I would have expected from a film of this age.
The 5.1 audio mix produces an effective and enjoyable soundstage for the film.
An interesting collection of extras is included on this disc and they provide some excellent insight into the making of this movie.
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| Review Equipment | |
| DVD | Toshiba 1200, using S-Video output |
| Display | Sony KP-E41SN11. Calibrated with Video Essentials. |
| Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Video Essentials. |
| Amplification | Front left/right: ME75b; Center: DA50ES; rear left/right: DA50ES; subwoofer: NAD 2600 (Bridged) |
| Speakers | Front left/right: VAF DC-X; Center: VAF DC-6; rear left/right: VAF DC-7; subwoofer: Custom NHT-1259 |