Review: The Vault (2017)

It’s more than likely this is the first time you’ve heard of such an unusual genre blend, between heist and supernatural thriller; and that’s exactly the idea. From the offset, The Vault seems to create its own style in theming. We see all the same cues from heist and crime movies we’re used to, yet things get interesting when our bank robbers go downstairs.

Though not overly impressive in cinematography, clear thought has gone into the film’s theming and style. We can view all the themes from each respective genre, thus their parallels, and finally their merges – the builds in suspense, and the horror of hostages & supernatural drama all combine together to create a unique feel around the movie that comes across impressive. Further, production narrative is clear – the past of each character left ambiguous which only adds to the interest in each character which is further aided by some good quality performances from Francesca Eastwood and Elle Manning. However these characters occasionally fall into continuity error in reference to their ‘ideologies’ throughout the robbery; they are well played off by the production’s cast.

As aforementioned, the film’s camera work isn’t as impressive as other contemporary low-budget productions. The film falls victim to jump cuts throughout each scene and dialogue moment, however they fail to come across as harsh; the scene’s lighting remains continuous and steady, showing director Dan Bush’s thought into audience pleasantries throughout viewing, which arguably takes away from the non-advanced cinematography.

When it comes to plot, The Vault knows what it wants to be. James Franco’s performance works well as a controlling point for narrative, and an audience can keep up with on-screen events – though perhaps a little too well. The supposed twists and turns in the film’s narrative – though well planned – are easy to be seen coming by an active viewer, unfortunately removing a large portion of the film’s effect.

The Vault, though unique & an impressive concept, fails to impress audiences and leave it’s intended mark – both technically and throughout narrative. However, a marker has been placed here – and I remain excited to see where Bush moves henceforth; his space is one to watch.