"The Vault" Review: A Subpar Heist Film w/ Lipstick
“The Vault” is every trope of a heist film that you’ve seen before rolled into one, beautifully shot, pretentious piece of work. I don’t think it’s worth watching because you can imagine everything that happens just from hearing the synopsis. Sometimes, I think Netflix should use its money to combat world hunger the way it wastes money picking up certain content.
If you read IMDB’s synopsis of the film it says the film “follows a genius engineering graduate who is interested in the Bank of Spain's safe.” That’s pretty lazy writing from someone who doesn’t care about the film. Maybe, one of the writers? The film is about Thom (Freddie Highmore), a Cambridge engineering student who solved some oil spill issue that gives us a montage of a bunch of oil companies coming after him to work with them. Thom isn’t interested in the money. Instead, he’s interested in Walter’s (Liam Cunningham) offer to crack the world’s most impenetrable safe in order to get back something that was stolen from Walter. You know, the one offer our hero gets after receiving an anonymous text, following instructions and winding up in a bar sitting across from the mature, seasoned actor who will give this thing some gravitas!
We already met Walter’s daughter (I think it’s his daughter, they elude to their closeness) Lorraine (Astrid Berges-Frisbey) in luring Thom to Walter. She’s the one who wears a wig, pick-pockets people and will likely be Thom’s love interest. So we need the rest of the gang of thieves: Klaus (Axel Stein) is the whitty, chip eating tech guy, Simon (Luis Tosar) is the gruff muscle, and James (Sam Riley) is the “don’t trust anyone” good at his job guy that probably likes Lorraine. Everybody here? Check! Getting into this vault is going to take some work.
First, we’ll have to do some reconnaissance! The type that’s never been done before, but wet behind the ears Thom will have to be on the ground to do something smart to build his character. With new information, we need to strike at an opportune time. How about during the World Cup Finals? Of course, great diversion and way to put a ticking clock in the film. I’m just sticking that in there in the same way writers…wait, I have to list five names!? Writer’s Rafa Martinez, Andres Koppel, Borja Santaolalla, Michel Gazambide, and Rowan Athale inserted the intense looking, smart but soon to be outsmarted Gustavo (Jose Coronado) as the head of security. However, with five writers on the job, it makes sense as to why this ensemble of characters lack depth.
The film has lots of great music. There is the music that we hear when someone is thinking through something, when danger or a near death experience is about to take place, and the absence of music when a joke is told to break the suspense of an intense moment. Ultimately, everything that makes this film tick, we’ve seen before. Thom isn’t really that smart, he just sees things that other people don’t, but likely would if they just thought a little bit more.
I can only imagine the money spent on the production design, location and cast for this film. It looks extravagant and like the best American heist films from the early 2000s. It even cuts together like one too. It has Freddie Highmore doing his best “if Dr. Shaun Murphy wasn’t autistic impression”. Unfortunately, it’s a pig with lipstick. I’d only recommend this if you’re extremely bored, have exhausted all of your streaming options and enjoy the rhythm of heist films.
Rating: D
