Vault (2019)

One thing I hate in movies is when the entire plot is predicated on a bad decision.  I may have said it before.  In the case of Vault, it needs repeating because the main characters can’t seem to make a good decision to save their lives.

I suppose that’s par for the course with Robert ‘Deuce’ Dussult and Charles ‘Chucky’ Flynn.  They’re criminals who get caught because their getaway driver gets smart and bails on them.  So, they spend time in prison and meet Gerry Ouimette, who has a job for them when they get out.

That job happens to be breaking in to the titular vault, which happens to belong to the Mafia.  You’d think they’d be smart enough not to go after organized crime.  What’s Gerry going to do to them that striking at the Mafia wouldn’t be worse?  They do it anyway.

Amazingly, they get away with $30 million in cash and goods.  Anything that isn’t cash, they hand over to Gerry.  Everyone goes their separate ways with Gerry promising everyone their cut from the proceeds of what he was given.

The rest of the film follows Deuce, Chucky and Deuce’s girlfriend, Karyn.  Deuce and Karyn met when Deuce and Chucky robbed a pawn shop.  She was working there when it happened.  They took her purse, bus fare and all, but Deuce promised to come back and give her a ride.

So, in the entire cast of characters, there’s not a likable person.  You’d think that Karyn would be some sort of sympathetic character or a surrogate for the audience.  No.  She sticks with Deuce and is there for him when he gets out.

You may be saying that it’s based on a true story.  That’s not much of an excuse.  It may stick close to the actual events, but the actual events are boring.  There’s not much fun or excitement here.  This is why you embellish a little.  Put in a car chase or an explosion or something.  I’d even settle for a shootout.

In fact, I took a look at the Wikipedia article.  The actual events look more interesting.  Apparently, Karyn was based on Karyne Sponheim, who was a prostitute.  (I imagine that was changed to make the movie a little more family friendly.)

The vault heist led to the longest and costliest trial in Rhode Island history.  Some of the people were convicted while others were found not guilty.  I think the movie could have been better if framed in that context.  Even at 99 minutes, it was slow and uninteresting.

IMDb page

Knives Out (2019)

I remember hearing about the TV show Alias.  In it, the main character’s father works for the CIA.  Except he doesn’t.  Except he really does.  Knives out is sort of like that.

Harlan Thrombey is a mystery writer who is found dead in a locked room.  It appears to be suicide.  Except his family hated him, so it had to be murder.  Except it’s impossible to prove who.  Plus, he was found dead in a locked room.  So, the police have plenty of suspects, but no real evidence.

Benoit Blanc, a private detective who was hired anonymously, is convinced it’s murder.  He presses the investigation until he figures out what really happened.

I don’t see a lot of mystery movies.  I tend to find them all very similar.  We have a few plot twists.  Some, we see coming.  Some, we don’t.  We have a lot of people who stood to gain from Thrombey’s death and they all look guilty.

Then, there’s Marta Cabrera, who is acting guilty.  She knows something.  Did she murder him?  Does she know who did?  Why isn’t she saying anything?

We come to find out that guilt isn’t so clear-cut a thing.  It’s almost like that riddle where a man falls off a roof only to be shot on the third floor.  Is the shooter guilty?  Well, it’s more complicated than that.  Yes, mistakes were made.

My biggest complaint about this movie could have easily been the bad decisions made.  It’s always easier to come forward (or at least get a lawyer) first thing.  At least it wasn’t overdone.  We understand that Marta is in a difficult position.

The family also could have been overdone.  Most of them are easy to dislike.  We don’t really want to see any of them get their share of the estate.

It’s an interesting movie that’s got an interesting set of circumstances.  It almost appears to be written by someone who dislikes a lot of the clichés I dislike, but didn’t want to necessarily parody the genre.  I wouldn’t call it wish fulfillment, necessarily.  However, it does play out rather interestingly.

IMDb page