When an engineer learns of a mysterious, impenetrable fortress hidden under The Bank of Spain, he joins a crew of master thieves who plan to steal the legendary lost treasure locked inside while the whole country is distracted by Spain’s World Cup Final. With thousands of soccer fans cheering in the streets, and security forces closing in, the crew has just minutes to pull off the score of a lifetime.
I thoroughly enjoyed “The Vault” and even though my headline might come across as negative to some, it’s not, it is the truth. Freddie Highmore is an exceptional actor who brought Norman Bates back to life when nobody thought any actor could inhabit that character better than Anthony Perkins. He proved all the naysayers wrong. He then took on the role of an autistic savant surgical resident in the 2017 TV drama, “The Good Doctor,” receiving a Golden Globe nomination and rave reviews for his performance, and while he has portrayed a wide variety of diverse characters in other movies and TV shows, action hero is not one that stands out. And for good reason.
Like Matthew Broderick, Mr. Highmore, regardless of the fact that he is almost 30 years old, has a young baby face that will more than likely stay with him for a long time, possibly even preventing him from playing characters that are supposed to be older than him. It could be a blessing and a curse. In “The Vault,” it works against him because while he is playing a character who has just graduated college, and manages to pull that aspect off, when he tries to take on the mantle of action hero, it becomes laughable. This was not intentional, by any stretch of the imagination but I do think director Jaume Balagueró could have created a more credible role for him, one that would have made the movie more enjoyable, and even more plausible.
Thom Johnson (Highmore) is an engineering genius who has just graduated college. His father is a big name in the oil industry and Thom has big oil companies lining up to offer him a position within their organizations. The only problem is, Thom doesn’t want to follow in his father’s footsteps, he wants to get out into the world and experience everything it has to offer. Out of the blue, he receives a mysterious invitation to meet Walter Moreland (Liam Cunningham), a famous Marine archaeologist. He tells Thom that a year prior, he and his team discovered legendary treasure in a sunken ship off the coast of Spain but they were intercepted by Spanish authorities and their payload was taken from them. The treasure now sits in a vault within the Bank of Spain that utilizes a security system that is reputed to be impenetrable. Walter states that if he were to help him and his team break into the bank and retrieve the treasure, he would be rich beyond his wildest dreams. The thought of doing something so unpredictable and dangerous appeals to Thom and he accepts Walter’s invitation but naturally, things don’t go according to plan.
I love heist movies in general, I like to see how the safes and security systems are constructed, ones that are supposedly fortified and impregnable, only to have the hackers come along and invalidate them. I enjoy watching both sides outsmart and surpass each other. “Sneakers” and “Ocean’s Eleven” are my two favorite heist films, followed by “The Italian Job,” and part of the reason they are so good is not just because of the complex vaults but how the characters interact with each other. “The Vault” is no different in this regard, the characters herein are believable and loyal to each other, and because of these elements, you can relate to them, which is half the battle. Liam Cunningham is perfect as the father figure of the team, a grizzled man who desperately wants to retire and will stop at nothing to reclaim his treasure.
Freddie Highmore excels during the scenes where he is attempting to solve the vault’s practicalities but once he dons the customary black military fatigues and tactical bulletproof vest, his credibility goes out the window and you don’t for one second believe his transformation, simply because he has never had to assume that role before. He looks awkward and unrefined, which doesn’t inspire confidence in his colleagues, and rightly so. Had he stayed in the control room and advised the other characters on where to go and what to do, that would have been more realistic but because Mr. Highmore is the star of the film, not allowing him to partake in the big action-oriented finale, would sort of defeat the whole purpose of having him there in the first place. These few gripes aside, “The Vault” is entertaining and the events of the story take place in 2010, during the World Cup Final which had Spain face off against the Netherlands and eventually beat them 1–0. The World Cup is added to the story to serve as a distraction for the staff of the Bank of Spain, granting our protagonists perfect passage into the financial institution. Getting out, however, will be a different story.
Now available on DVD
