Vault (2019)

Vault is the kind of gritty, sharply dressed true-crime throwback that makes the 1970s feel less like a setting and more like a pressure cooker you can practically smell—cigarette smoke, cheap cologne, and bad decisions. Tom DeNucci leans into the period with satisfying detail and a retro sheen, while keeping the pace tight enough that the heist fantasy quickly curdles into something tenser and more paranoid. Theo Rossi and Clive Standen give the friendship at the center real weight, and the supporting cast—especially Don Johnson and Chazz Palminteri—adds that lived-in mob-world menace without turning it into caricature. It’s not for anyone craving a glossy, crowd-pleasing caper, but if you like crime dramas where the score is only the beginning and loyalty is the real currency, Vault delivers.

Vault is clearly aiming for that gritty, 1970s mob-heist vibe where loyalty cracks under pressure and everyone’s one bad decision away from a trunk ride. The problem is it often settles for familiar crime-movie beats and a tone that wobbles between serious gangster drama and by-the-numbers thriller, which dulls what should feel like a legendary true-crime story. It also looks more “modern indie in period costumes” than fully lived-in ’75 Rhode Island, so if you’re craving a rich Scorsese-style atmosphere, this may feel a bit thin. Still, the cast brings some solid intensity—especially Theo Rossi—and if you’re in the mood for a straightforward, watchable crime yarn rather than something fresh or iconic, it can do the job.