Vault (2019) Review
Vault (2019)
Directed By: Tom DeNucci
Starring: Theo Rossi, Clive Standen, William Forsythe, Samira Wiley, Don Johnson and Chazz Palminteri
Synopsis: A hard-hitting thriller set in the 1970s and based on true events, where two small-time crooks cook up an ill-fated scheme to rip off a nearby vault for $30 million—money that belongs to the local Mafia.
Review: This movie immediately caught my attention. I love Mafia movies and and I think Don Johnson is so cool, I was instantly sold. Our main characters are Deuce (Theo Rossi) and Chucky (Clive Standen) who are two small time criminals that get arrested for an attempted robbery. They get sent to prison where they meet a fellow inmate named Gerry (Don Johnson) after Chucky beats another prisoner known as ‘The Butcher’ in a fist fight. Gerry is a long time affiliate of the Mafia and works under Mafia boss Raymond (Chazz Palminteri) who controls the prison. When Deuce and Chucky are released from prison, Deuce get collected by his girlfriend Karyn, whom he met at the start of the movie during a heist. The way they meet is a memorable moment and shows us how charming and charismatic Deuce is. Chucky on the other hand comes across quite menacing at the start and is clearly the muscle of the group with balls of steel. Clive Straden plays the part with perfection. If this movie was made in the early 90’s I could see De Niro playing Deuce and Joe Pesci as Chucky. Chazz Palminteri plays the role of Raymond with ease, Palminteri was born to play these Mafia roles, the way he carries himself and talks instantly sends shivers down your spine, I was glad to see him back on the screen. Don Johnson still looks slick enough to play a grizzled Sonny Crockett and I would love to see that. He doesn’t have alot of screen time but I really enjoyed every moment he had on screen.
Once the movie gets to the heist, the tone of the movie completely changes, for the better of course, without giving much away, it is along the lines of Goodfellas. We are faced with betrayals, twists and deceptions which makes viewing very tense, I found myself surprised at some of the things that happened. Like every classic Gangster movie, when the movie ends we get some facts about the group and a sort of what happened next etc which I always love.
Overall I loved the movie and had a blast, along with the solid cast it was good to spot, Burt Young (Pauline from the Rocky franchise) appear as a Mafia Don. If you get the opportunity give it a watch, especially if you’re a fan of the old school Mafia movies.
