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Nick Wells (Robert De Niro) is ready to retire from crime. He'll settle down with his girlfriend, Diane (Angela Bassett), and focus on running his legitimate business: a Montreal jazz club. But Max (Marlon Brando), his fence, friend and financial partner, has other plans for him.
Persuading Nick to violate two of his most important rules - always work alone and never operate in the city where you live - Max teams him up with Jack Teller (Edward Norton). A young, aggressive and talented thief, Jack needs Nick's safe-cracking talents to make his first big score: a prize worth millions locked behind the walls of Montreal's Customs House.
It's a volatile combination in which egos clash and sparks fly, but the thrill of the heist has a grip on all three men, who won't give up no matter what the risk.
A contemporary crime thriller, "The Score" is directed by Frank Oz and stars Academy Award winner Robert De Niro, Oscar nominee Edward Norton, Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Angela Bassett and Academy Award winner Marlon Brando. Kario Salem and Lem Dobbs and Scott Marshall Smith wrote the screenplay for the Paramount Pictures and Mandalay Pictures presentation from a story by Daniel E. Taylor and Kario Salem. The producers of the Horseshoe Bay/Lee Rich production are Gary Foster and Lee Rich, and the executive producers are Bernie Williams and Adam Platnick.
The film is rated "R" by the Motion Picture Association of America for language.
"The Score" is being released in the major international territories by Mandalay Pictures, a pre-eminent financier, producer and distributor of major theatrical motion pictures for the global marketplace. Mandalay Pictures is part of the Mandalay group of companies, which creates entertainment content for television, sports and e-media. Paramount Pictures is releasing the film in the United States, Canada and the remaining international territories. Paramount Pictures is part of the entertainment operations of Viacom Inc., one of the world's largest entertainment and media companies and a leader in the production, promotion and distribution of entertainment, news, sports and music.
"The Score" represents a distinct change of pace for director Frank Oz, whose previous directing credits have been comedies. It's a drama: a character-driven film built on the framework of a heist movie. When filming began in May, 2000, Oz encouraged his stars to treat the script itself as a framework on which to embellish and develop their roles.
"I really trust actors to know more about their characters than anybody else," Oz says. "When you have De Niro, Brando, Norton and Bassett, you don't just say. 'Okay, read the words.' I was banking on those actors coming up with good stuff that was not in the script, and they did."
The film's star, Robert De Niro, elaborates. "I always like to improvise. There are certain points you have to hit no matter what. And we did - there was a structure. But parts of the script were improvised and I enjoyed that."
The results of that process delighted Frank Oz, who felt the improvisations added an electricity to the performances. "The most enjoyable thing for me as a director is seeing sparks when actors work well," he says, "seeing things come alive and cook and bubble. I got a lot of that in this movie."
De Niro stars as Nick, a world-class thief who has evaded capture for twenty years by being very, very cautious. Having grown older, Nick is ready to become a law-abiding citizen and make a deeper commitment to his girlfriend of six years. To ensure that their new life together is a comfortable one, he agrees, against his better judgment, to take part in one last heist that tops anything he's done before. "There isn't a false beat in De Niro's performance, producer Gary Foster says. "He brings to it a sense of realism, authenticity and honesty. He could have played this role on its surface, but found a way to get into the soul of Nick."
Edward Norton stars as Jack, a young thief who wants to make his mark on the world - perhaps to become the new Nick. Though cocky, he respects his older colleague. Preparing for the heist, Jack pretends to be simple-minded, landing a janitor's job inside the Customs House. This gives Norton the opportunity to play two characters in the course of the film, which he did so well in his Oscar nominated performance in "Primal Fear."
Norton says of "The Score," "I think we ended up edging things instinctively toward Jack, Nick and Max having dynamics between them not unlike the dynamics between me, Bob and Marlon.
"We had a scene in Nick's jazz club where the younger guy asks the more experienced guy for advice on succeeding in the game they're in, and that guy gives back to him. It's not unlike real dinner conversations I've had with Bob, so the scene felt really true."
Marlon Brando stars as Max, Nick's friend, mentor and mastermind of the Customs House robbery. An art dealer and aesthete, Max is also a charming manipulator who, for financial reasons, desperately needs this heist to succeed.
Describing Brando, one of the world's greatest and most influential actors, Oz says, "Marlon works extraordinarily spontaneously. He's totally focused on what is happening right now, at this moment."
Foster compares the complex relationships among the three men to a game of poker. "There's a lot of manipulation going on. Each wants something very badly, but won't show his hand too quickly - the others can se that information to take him down."
Angela Bassett stars as Diane, an independent, cosmopolitan woman who travels the world as a flight attendant. She's loved Nick for six years, but they've always been careful to respect a certain boundary between them. Their relationship will enter a new stage if Nick succeeds with the heist and retires.
"Diane is independent and has a sense of adventure," Bassett says. "She doesn't need the ring and the house. She's attracted to Nick because he's offbeat, different, mysterious and bad. He, not Diane, is the one who broaches the idea of making their relationship deeper, more normal and more settled."
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
Principal photography commenced May, 2000 in Montreal, where the entire film was shot. Many American productions have filmed in Montreal, but only to use the city as a stand-in for New York or elsewhere. "The Score" is actually set where it was filmed: in the cosmopolitan city that reminds so many of Europe.
Nick is an American who steals in the U.S. and Europe, then returns to a safe haven: his beloved adopted home of Montreal. This, Oz says, is one reason "this heist is such a big deal for Nick; it's the first and only time he'll steal in his home town."
A happy accident led to the selection of the film's most important location, a selection that resulted in a major change in the film's plot line. Scouting locations in Montreal, Oz and his location manager drove past Place d'Youville near the port in Old Montreal and spotted the Customs House. Captivated by its massive, looming appearance, Oz decided then and there that the treasure sought by Nick, Jack and Max should be locked up inside the Customs House rather than a museum, as originally scripted.
Nick's jazz club, named NYC, was an intimate space designed by production designer Jackson De Govia and constructed on a Montreal soundstage. Scenes filmed there included actual performances by jazz greats Mose Allison and Cassandra Wilson. For producer Foster, the high point in the production occurred on the club set, when he became overwhelmed by the legendary stature of the actors and the electrifying energy of their performance together.
"Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro and Edward Norton were doing a scene in the jazz club. They were excited about working together," Foster remembers. "I was watching them and thought 'Oh my God, look what we've done! I mean, I don't think we'll ever see it again."
Mr. De Niro is equally complementary toward his co-stars and director. "After I took the role, Frank [Oz] told me he wanted Edward Norton and I was thrilled. Then Angela Bassett signed on. She's terrific and very professional. And then Marlon came in. You see his films, his work, it's great. The cast just got better and better. And Frank was very easy to work with; he's very open to new ideas or questions, and he includes everyone in the process."
ABOUT THE CAST
ROBERT DE NIRO (Nick Wells) launched is prolific motion picture career in Brian De Palma's "The Wedding Party" in 1969. By 1973, De Niro twice won the New York Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor in recognition of his critically acclaimed performances in "Bang the Drum Slowly" and Martin Scorsese's "Mean Streets."
In 1974, De Niro received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of the young Vito Corleone in "The Godfather, Part II." In 1980, he won his second Oscar, as Best Actor, for his extraordinary portrayal of Jake La Motta in Scorsese's "Raging Bull." De Niro has earned Academy Award nominations for his work in four additional films: as Travis Bickle in Scorsese's acclaimed "Taxi Driver," as a Vietnam vet in Michael Cimino's "The Deer Hunter," as a catatonic patient brought to life in Penny Marshall's "Awarkenings," and in 1992, for his role as Max Cady, an ex-con looking for revenge, in Scorsese's remake of the 1962 classic "Cape Fear."
De Niro's distinguished body of work also includes performances in Elia Kazan's "The Last Tycoon"; Bernardo Bertolucci's "1900"; Ulu Grosbard's "True Confessions" and "Falling in Love"; Sergio Leone's "Once Upon a Time in America"; Scorsese's "King of Comedy," "New York, New York," "Goodfellas" and "Casino"; Terry Gilliam's "Brazil"; Roland Joffe's "The Mission"; Brian De Palma's "The Untouchables"; Alan Parker's "Angel Heart"; Martin Brest's "Midnight Run"; David Jones' "Jacknife"; Martin Ritt's "Stanley and Iris"; Neil Jordan's "We're No Angels"; Penny Marshall's "Awakenings"; Ron Howard's "Backdraft"; Michael Caton-Jones' "This Boy's Life" John McNaughton's "Mad Dog and Glory"; "A Bronx Tale"; Kenneth Branagh's "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein"; Michael Mann's "Heat"; Barry Levinson's "Sleepers" and "Wag the Dog"; Jerry Zaks' "Marvin's Room"; Tony Scott's "The Fan"; James Mangold's "Copland"; Alfonso Cuaron's "Great Expectations"; Quentin Tarantino's "Jackie Brown"; John Frankenhiemer's "Ronin"; Harold Ramis' "Analyze This"; Joel Schumacher's "Flawless"; Des McAnuff's "Rocky and Bullwinkle"; Jay Roach's "Meet The Parents"; George Tillman's "Men of Honor"; and John Herzfeld's "Fifteen Minutes." He recently finished production on Michael Caton-Jones' "City By The Sea."
De Niro takes pride in the development of his production company, Tribeca Productions, and the Tribeca Film Center, which he founded with Jane Rosenthal in 1988. Through Tribeca, he develops projects on which he serves in a combination of capacities, including producer, director and actor.
Tribeca's "A Bronx Tale" marked De Niro's directorial debut. Other Tribeca features include "Thunderheart," "Cape Fear," "Mistress," "Night and the City," "The Night We Never Met," "Faithful," "Panther," "Marvin's Room," "Wag the Dog," "Analyze This," "Flawless," "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle" and "Meet The Parents."
In 1992, Tribeca TV was launched with the critically acclaimed series "Tribeca." De Niro served as one of the series' executive producers. In 1998, Tribeca produced a miniseries for NBC, based on the life of "Sammy 'The Bull' Gravano."
Tribeca Productions is headquartered at De Niro's Tribeca Film Center, in the
TriBeCa district of New York. The Film Center is a state-of-the-art office
building designed for the film and television industry. The eight story facility
features office space, a screening room, banquet hall and restaurant, in
addition to a full range of services for entertainment industry professionals.
EDWARD NORTON (Jack/Brian Teller) has starred in the films "Primal Fear," "Everyone Says I Love You," "The People vs. Larry Flynt," "Rounders," "American History X" and "Fight Club." He made his directorial debut with "Keeping the Faith," which he also produced and starred in with Ben Stiller and Jenna Elfman.
Norton received an Academy Award nomination as Best Actor for his performance in "American History X" and a Best Supporting Actor nomination for "Primal Fear." That performance also earned him the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. He has been recognized for his work by the National Board of Review, the Los Angeles Film Critics, the Boston Film Critics, and the Texas Film Critics Associations.
He recently completed production on Danny De Vito's film "Death to Smoochy" opposite Robin Williams and Catherine Keener.
Norton serves on the Board of New York's Signature Theatre Company, where he
first performed in the 1994 premiere of Edward Albee's "Fragments." He also
serves on the National Board of the Enterprise Foundation, an organization
dedicated to providing affordable housing for low-income families.
Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee ANGELA BASSETT (Diane) received an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe Award for her searing portrayal of Tina Turner in "What's Love Got to Do with It?" She recently starred in the Athol Fugard drama "Boesman & Lena" with Danny Glover, for which she received an Image Award nomination as Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture, and has just completed filming two projects back-to-back: "The Rosa Parks Story" for CBS, and "Sunshine State," written and directed by John Sayles.
She starred in last year's sci-fi thriller "Supernova" with James Spader; the acclaimed "Music of the Heart," opposite Meryl Streep and directed by Wes Craven; and the 1998 screen adaptation of Terry McMillan's novel "How Stella Got Her Groove Back," with Whoopi Goldberg and Taye Diggs. Among Bassett's other credits are the blockbuster "Contact," with Jodie Foster; and the popular "Waiting to Exhale," directed by Forest Whitaker.
In 1995, Bassett starred in "Strange Days" and played the lead opposite Eddie Murphy in "Vampire in Brooklyn." She previously starred in Spike Lee's epic film "Malcolm X" (as Betty Shabazz). "Boyz in the Hood," "Kindergarten Cop," "City of Hope" and "Innocent Blood."
Born in New York City and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida, Bassett won a
scholarship to Yale University , where she received her bachelor's degree in
Afro-American studies, and an MFA from the prestigious Yale School of Drama.
Her stage appearances include "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," "Colored People's
Time," "Black Girl," Henry IV, Part I" "Joe Turner's Come and Gone" and, with
Alec Baldwin, a 1998 production of "Macbeth" and New York's Joseph Papp Public
Theater.
In his 1950 film debut, MARLON BRANDO (Max) played an embittered paraplegic in Stanley Kramer's "The Men." He was nominated for Best Actor Academy Awards in four successive years for performances in "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1951), "Viva Zapata!" (1952), "Julius Caesar" (1953) and "On the Waterfront" and also received the New York Film Critics Award and the Cannes Film Festival prize.
Throughout the 1950s, Brando's charisma, both on and off screen, made him an artistic and social force. Young audiences acclaimed him as the rebellious, nonconforming prototype of the Beat generation; older audiences often saw him as an anti-social menace, unkempt and unrestrained, but audiences and critics agreed that he was one of the most original and compelling personalities to appear on the screen in a long time.
The early 1970s brought superb performances in two extremely diverse roles. His powerful portrayal in the title role of Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather" brought him a second Oscar, which he refused to accept in protest of the plight of Native Americans. He won another Oscar nomination as well as unanimous acclaim for his study of middle-age sexuality in Bernardo Bertolucci's "Last Tango in Paris." After a long absence, Brando returned to the screen in 1989, promptly garnering yet another Oscar nomination for "A Dry White Season."
He was also nominated for seven British Film Academy Awards, with three wins
for "Viva Zapata!" "Julius Caesar" and "On the Waterfront." Brando's other film
credits include "The Wild One," "Sayonara," "The Young Lions," "Mutiny on the
Bounty," "Burn! (Quemada!)," "The Ugly American," "The Chase," "The Missouri
Breaks," "Superman," "Apocalypse Now," "The Freshman," "Don Juan DeMarco," and
"The Brave."
ABOUT THE FILMAKERS
FRANK OZ's film directing credits include "Little Shop of Horrors,"
"Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," "What About Bob?" "In & Out," "The Indian in the
Cupboard" and "Bowfinger."
Screenwriter KARIO SALEM won Emmy and Peabody awards for writing the
1998 HBO film, "Don King: Only in America," which also won an Emmy for Best
Television Movie of the Year. In 1999, Salem received Emmy and PEN award
nominations for "The Rat Pack," which received ten other Emmy nominations and
won three. He recently created, wrote, and executive produced an ABC television
drama that explores the trenches of journalism, titled "The Beast," which
premiered in June 2001. Salem is currently adapting the thriller, "The Grid,"
a film for Universal Pictures and Working Title.
Screenwriter LEM DOBBS son of distinguished American artist R.B.
Kitaj, has diverse writing credits which include the acclaimed "The Limey"
and "Kafka," both directed by Steven Soderbergh; John Badham's "The Hard
Way"; and the landmark science-fiction thriller "Dark City," which critic
Roger Ebert selected as the best film of 1998. It also won the Saturn Award
(Best Film) as well as the Horror Writers Association of America's Bram
Stoker Award (Best Screenplay of the Year).
Born in Carmel, California, screenwriter SCOTT MARSHALL SMITH grew
up in the Midwest. With an eye toward cinematography, Smith attended NYU Film
School, where he was taught by prominent New York based magazine writer Jesse
Kornbluth encouraged Smith to become a writer. Smith's first produced film was
"Men of Honor,"; starring Robert De Niro and Cuba Gooding, Jr. Following work
on "The Score," Smith began a multi-picture deal with Miramaz Films. Smith's
second production, "The Expendables," will be directed by Frank Marshall later
this year.
DANIEL E. TAYLOR (Story) sold "The Score," his original screenplay, as a spec sale to Mandalay Pictures.
Since receiving his M.F.A. in Film Production from the University of Southern California, Mr. Taylor has authored other original works for Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, Universal and HBO.
Mr. Taylor's second film "Tracks" based on his original screenplay, is
currently in production in Australia and will be released in Spring 2002.
Producer GARY FOSTER produced the Oscar and Golden Globe nominated hit "Sleepless in Seattle," which grossed in excess of $300,000,000 worldwide.
A graduate of the University of Southern California, he worked as an agent's assistant at the William Morris Agency in New York before he began his producing carrer as an associate at the Turman-Foster Company. He participated in the making of "Running Scared," "The Mean Season" and the television drama, "News at Eleven." Other producing credits include the hits "Short Circuit" and "Short Circuit 2." [More to come]
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