The Vault

"Weak"

The Vault Review


Filmmakers Dan Bush and Conal Byrne attempt a mash-up of a frantic heist movie with supernatural horror. It's a clever idea, but the script isn't nearly as smart as it's trying to be, falling back on feeble attempts to generate suspense by throwing every cliche imaginable at the screen. The watchable cast makes sure we don't get bored, but it isn't long before we begin to suspect that there's nothing to this film at all.

It's set in a bank that has a history of robberies, including one that turned extremely violent years ago. Now sisters Lea and Vee (Francesca Eastwood and Taryn Manning) are working with their dim but useful brother Michael (Scott Haze) and a couple of hotheaded thugs (Keith Loneker and Michael Milford) to stage a heist in broad daylight. But nothing goes as planned, especially as a detective (Clifton Collins Jr.) immediately turns up outside. Inside, assistant bank manager Ed (James Franco) is trying to cooperate, but head teller Susan (Q'orianka Kilcher) won't stop talking about how the bank is haunted.

James Franco stars in The Vault

Despite the decent set-up, the script seems even less in control of the narrative than Lea and Vee are of this robbery. There's not much that the actors can do with these bare-boned characters, most of whom vanish from the screen for long periods of time with nothing at all to do. Dialogue consists mainly of smalltalk that tells us little about who these people are or what they're up to. It's a nice way to create a disorienting edge to the movie, but not so good at helping us care about anyone. Basically, all of the robbers are loose cannons ready to fly off the hook at any moment. Haze plays the only one with a shred of a conscience. Meanwhile, the hostages do little but dither. And Collins could have shot his entire role on a lunch break.

At least there's plenty of talent lurking around to keep things vaguely interesting. As a director, Bush goes for atmosphere rather than believability, although his attempt to generate terror basically consists of having blurred or masked figures lurking in the background. And when things move into an unnecessarily blacked-out basement, we can't even see them. There are some gleefully gruesome moments, although the real violence remains off-screen. Basically, it's a waste of a terrific idea, mainly because the filmmakers forgot to include at least one character the audience cares about.



Facts and Figures

Genre: Thriller

Reviews

Contactmusic.com: 2 / 5

Cast & Crew

Director: Dan Bush

Producer: Tom Butterfield, Alex Cutler, Luke Daniels, Alan Pao

Starring: as Ed Mass, as Vee Dillon, as Leah Dillon, Scott Haze as Michael Dillon, Q'orianka Kilcher as Susan Cromwell, Jeff Gum as James Aiken, Clifton Collins Jr as Iger, Keith Loneker as Cyrus, Jill Jane Clements as Mary, Michael Milford as Kramer, Debbie Sherman as Lauren, Lee Broda as Nancy, Anthony DiRocco as Mark Fishman, Dmitry Paniotto as Max, Beatrice Hernandez as Pamela

Also starring:

Contactmusic

New Movies

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Movie Review

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Movie Review

After the thunderous reception for J.J. Abrams' Episode VII: The Force Awakens two years ago,...

Daddy's Home 2 Movie Review

Daddy's Home 2 Movie Review

Like the 2015 original, this comedy plays merrily with cliches to tell a silly story...

The Man Who Invented Christmas Movie Review

The Man Who Invented Christmas Movie Review

There's a somewhat contrived jauntiness to this blending of fact and fiction that may leave...

Ferdinand Movie Review

Ferdinand Movie Review

This animated comedy adventure is based on the beloved children's book, which was published in...

Brigsby Bear Movie Review

Brigsby Bear Movie Review

Director Dave McCary makes a superb feature debut with this offbeat black comedy, which explores...

Battle of the Sexes Movie Review

Battle of the Sexes Movie Review

A dramatisation of the real-life clash between tennis icons Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs,...

Shot Caller Movie Review

Shot Caller Movie Review

There isn't much subtlety to this prison thriller, but it's edgy enough to hold the...

Advertisement
The Disaster Artist Movie Review

The Disaster Artist Movie Review

A hilariously outrageous story based on real events, this film recounts the making of the...

Stronger Movie Review

Stronger Movie Review

Based on a true story about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, this looks like one...

Only the Brave Movie Review

Only the Brave Movie Review

Based on a genuinely moving true story, this film undercuts the realism by pushing its...

Wonder Movie Review

Wonder Movie Review

This film may be based on RJ Palacio's fictional bestseller, but it approaches its story...

Happy End  Movie Review

Happy End Movie Review

Austrian auteur Michael Haneke isn't known for his light touch, but rather for hard-hitting, award-winning...

Patti Cake$ Movie Review

Patti Cake$ Movie Review

Seemingly from out of nowhere, this film generates perhaps the biggest smile of any movie...

The Limehouse Golem Movie Review

The Limehouse Golem Movie Review

A Victorian thriller with rather heavy echoes of Jack the Ripper, this film struggles to...

Advertisement
Artists
Actors
    Filmmakers
      Artists
      Bands
        Musicians
          Artists
          Celebrities
             
              Artists
              Interviews