Walter Moreland (Liam Cunningham, TV’s GOT) is a modern-day treasure hunter. With WAY DOWN (also known as THE VAULT), Spanish filmmaker Jaume Balagueró (three of the four films) has decided to throw his hat into the ring with a film that features a multinational cast and an alphabet soup of screenwriters. Sure, they’re rather formulaic but they can be a lot of fun to watch if they’re done right… IF they’re done right. But using the final games of the 2010 World Cup as backdrop is a smart embellishment, and playing the Sex Pistols’ “God Save the Queen” at the end is a timely touch.There has been no shortage of heist films over the years with directors from all over the world trying their hand at making one. We all know how this is going to turn out. Before the end, you may even find yourself feeling sorry for head of security Gustavo (veteran Jose Coronado). You have to be pretty clever to assemble as many nick-of-time escapes and sleight of hand presto-changeos. But “The Vault” has genuine suspense to spare, even if a lot of it is familiar. Taking a possible cue from the old period drama “Land of the Pharaohs,” the bank’s vault is designed to trap invaders and fill with water if anyone steps inside, a detail I found a bit soggy, if you know what I mean. The film is mostly in English along with Spanish dialogue with subtitles. In opening scenes, a deep sea scuba-diving James removes his equipment to “free dive” into an old sunken shipwreck, giving me serious jitters. If you don’t like being caught in tight spaces, you may have an issue with this movie. It’s “Raiders of the Lost Ark” meets “Mission Impossible,” although I can’t for the life of me figure out how no one sees three people zip-lining from a nearby rooftop to the top of the bank. Freddie Highmore in a scene from THE VAULT But it is fun to watch Thom try to go all MacGyver on the knotty challenges. The budding romance between brainiac Thom and cunning Lorraine lacks chemistry. Where do you get 500 liters of liquid nitrogen in a hurry? No problema, says Simon. There is also a very bad wig for Berges-Frisbey to wear. The screenplay by Rowan Athale (“The Rise”), Michel Gaztambide and three other credited writers is nothing if not chockablock with engineering problems for Thom to solve, dark tunnels to search, codes to unlock, keys to copy using a 3D printer, numbers of armed guards and disguises. Inside its vault, which was built 70 years earlier, is a treasure of “privateer” Sir Francis Drake, including three coins engraved with coordinates leading to another even larger cache. An eclectic creation with classical facades, “sober plinths,” a Carrara marble staircase, collection of paintings by Goya and others and labyrinthine corridors, the bank is a virtual character in the film.
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