‘Vault’ filled with suspense, thrilling escapes

MOVIE REVIEW

“THE VAULT”

Rated R. On digital platforms and VOD.

Grade: B

Fun, impressively shot and designed, and well-acted, “Vault” is a British-Spanish heist movie co-production combining British treasure lore with a Spanish bank vault and Spain’s win of the World Cup in 2010. In a nutshell, the plot pits a gang of thieves, including open-water salvage experts Walter (“Game of Thrones” regular Liam Cunningham) and James (Sam Riley, “Control”), recent Cambridge engineering graduate Thom (Freddie Highmore), stealthy street punk Lorraine (Astrid Berges-Frisbey) and jovial Spanish fixer Simon (Luis Tosar) against the grim-faced head of security at Madrid’s “impenetrable” landmark, the Bank of Spain.

An eclectic creation with classical facades, “sober plinths,” a Carrara marble staircase, collection of paintings by Goya and others and labyrinthine corridors, the bank is a virtual character in the film. Inside its vault, which was built 70 years earlier, is a treasure of “privateer” Sir Francis Drake, including three coins engraved with coordinates leading to another even larger cache.

The screenplay by Rowan Athale (“The Rise”), Michel Gaztambide and three other credited writers is nothing if not chockablock with engineering problems for Thom to solve, dark tunnels to search, codes to unlock, keys to copy using a 3D printer, numbers of armed guards and disguises. There is also a very bad wig for Berges-Frisbey to wear. Where do you get 500 liters of liquid nitrogen in a hurry? No problema, says Simon. The budding romance between brainiac Thom and cunning Lorraine lacks chemistry. But it is fun to watch Thom try to go all MacGyver on the knotty challenges.

Freddie Highmore in a scene from THE VAULT

It’s “Raiders of the Lost Ark” meets “Mission Impossible,” although I can’t for the life of me figure out how no one sees three people zip-lining from a nearby rooftop to the top of the bank. Stuff like that drives me crazy. If you don’t like being caught in tight spaces, you may have an issue with this movie. In opening scenes, a deep sea scuba-diving James removes his equipment to “free dive” into an old sunken shipwreck, giving me serious jitters. The film is mostly in English along with Spanish dialogue with subtitles. Taking a possible cue from the old period drama “Land of the Pharaohs,” the bank’s vault is designed to trap invaders and fill with water if anyone steps inside, a detail I found a bit soggy, if you know what I mean. But “The Vault” has genuine suspense to spare, even if a lot of it is familiar. You have to be pretty clever to assemble as many nick-of-time escapes and sleight of hand presto-changeos. Before the end, you may even find yourself feeling sorry for head of security Gustavo (veteran Jose Coronado). We all know how this is going to turn out. We just don’t know how. But using the final games of the 2010 World Cup as backdrop is a smart embellishment, and playing the Sex Pistols’ “God Save the Queen” at the end is a timely touch.

(“The Vault” contains profanity.)

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3rpfwWP