Vault is a 2019 crime drama about a group of small time criminals in 1975 who attempt to pull off the biggest heist in American history.
In the 1970s, a rise in violent crime left most major cities, especially in the northeast, facing serious setbacks with mismanaged local governments unable to clean the streets with reductions in police. While much of this was a tragedy for many, in the years since it’s become a boom for the film industry, almost romanticizing the ‘made’ life of mobsters who ran unchecked from neighborhood to neighborhood. While you are already running through a checklist in your mind of some of the classics, into the fray now comes co-writer and director Tom DeNucci‘s latest Vault, a sturdy if somewhat laid back crime thriller that gets the times right, mixing a bit of dark comedy with some genuine hard knocks.
It’s the mid 1970s, Rhode Island. Deuce (Theo Rossi) and Chucky (Clive Standen) are enjoying the easy pickins, robbing mom and pop shops for cash, recklessly skipping wearing masks, going in guns hot. They elevate their game to banks, and one day, push it too far, nabbed by the cops and sent to prison. This is just after Deuce met the girl of dreams, a nice young woman named Karyn (Samira Wiley) – one of the people he actually robbed but turned on by his confidence. Meanwhile, across town, there is Gerry (Don Johnson), a French mobster working for an Italian kingpin named Raymond (Chazz Palminteri). He wants to be made but is frustrated by Ray’s denial. When they all meet in jail, Gerry rolls in with a lucrative offer, one that will break his boss and make he and the boys rich. You can guess, it involves a bonded vault and over thirty million dollars.
Based on true events, if there’s anything DeNucci gets right with his ambitious indie film, it’s the setting, giving Providence a very convincing 70s makeover that helps in spades selling the small story. From the cars to the clothes to the score and more, the film feels authentic. Where he hits the next high rung is with the cast, featuring a list of supporting players that sees the likes of Johnson and Palminteri at the top and then familiar faces such as William Forsythe, Vincent Pastore, Chuck Zito, Burt Young and more. It’s impressive.
Mixing old time gangster mayhem with a traditional heist story, Vault has a few tricky plates to keep spinning and for the most part, does so with legitimate good times. It’s got a strong hook and two charismatic leads along with the inherent wonder the genre sort of comes packed with from the start. What it doesn’t have is the style, DeNucci not really giving the thing any real flourish beyond its looks. There’s also a decided lack of suspense that a movie like this kinda needs, the story sometimes feeling more playful (like an Ocean’s Eleven knockoff) than something more straight-up dramatic, especially during the actually main robbery.
Is that bad? Well, no. Just unexpected, which might in fact be in the film’s favor. Jumping from rural Rhode Island to dusty Nevada in the third act, Vault is a well-made if recognizable tale of criminal descent. It might not have the production value or weight of its big time counterparts, but is nonetheless a satisfying alternative.