The Vault

Pay attention to the opening credit sequence of this heist-horror hybrid, as it proves key to fathoming the contrived and purposefully obscure scenario concocted by director Dan Bush and co-scribe Conal Byrne. Desperate to help brother Scott Haze pay his debts, estranged sisters Taryn Manning and Francesca Eastwood hatch a plan to rob the Centurion Trust bank. However, they quickly discover that there isn't enough in the safe to bail Haze out and agree to act upon a tip-off from assistant manager James Franco to try the vault in the basement. As we already know that some employees think the old building is haunted, it's inevitable that henchmen Michael Milford and Keith Loneker will meet a grizzly ends before teller Q'orianka Kilcher regales Eastwood with the story of the botched 1982 robbery at the bank. But, by this stage, most viewers will be past caring what happens to the ciphers on either side of the law. Andrew Shulkind does a solid job of lighting Jessee J Clarkson's creepy sets. But the direction is manipulative and smug.