Movie Review: ‘Vault’

Review by Bradley Smith

Theo Rossi (Luke Cage) and Clive Standen (Vikings, Doctor Who) star in Vault, the latest “based on true events” mafia thriller/heist movie. I have spoken before about how dull “based on true events” movies come across to me and this movie does little to change that opinion. Sure, it has a decent story, solid acting, and visuals that make you believe the period setting, but there is very little that is thrilling or dramatic.

Set in the 1970s, Deuce (Rossi) and Chucky (Standen) are two small-time crooks in Rhode Island. They, by far, are not the greatest criminals. In the opening scene, Deuce convinces Chucky that they don’t need to hide their faces as nobody will remember them due to fear and adrenaline; then one accidentally shoots someone in the leg while the other starts dating one of the employees of the place they robbed; who has better ideas about the criminal world despite not being a criminal. After getting arrested and serving time for one of these small robberies, they join with a few other small-time crooks to rob a surprisingly under-secured mafia vault which became one of the biggest heists as they got away with roughly $30 million.

Along the way, we get side stories about Deuce’s home life, his relationship with Karyn, the group with which Chucky teams them up, how their lives are changed by the heist, and the mafia boss of which they run afoul. We get to see criminal activities that would not work in today’s high-tech world. Altogether, the film is interesting and cinematically flows somewhat smoothly. Rossi especially shines, though his character in this film has fewer dimensions that some of his other similar characters (i.e. Shades).

Still, the movie is lacking in excitement and the few twists are not real surprising; pretty average actually, just like the movie. It also ends with the standard texts briefly detailing what happens to the people after the events depicted in the movie; some sad, some not so much. Bottom line- sheck it out if you like Rossi or if you are a fan of heist films; keep your expectations low and you will probably find something to like.