The Vault Parent Guide

Famed 16^th century British privateer Sir Francis Drake earned his reputation raiding Spanish galleons returning from the “New World”, making him one of the wealthiest and most notorious sailors in the Atlantic. As such, the value of his treasure is almost incalculable…if you can find it.

Luckily for Walter Moreland (Liam Cunningham), he’s found a vital clue. Unluckily, his find was confiscated by the Spanish government and secured in an impenetrable bank vault. But Walter doesn’t believe in giving up. With Drake’s treasure within his reach, Moreland decides to hack the vault. To that end, he recruits Thom Laybrick (Freddie Highmore), a brilliant engineering student from Cambridge who gained fame for devising a solution to oil spills in the Gulf. Even with all those brains, the vault in question is an enigma which no one has ever solved…but Thom isn’t just anyone.

A good heist movie makes for a fun ride, and this is no exception. The Vault has all the standard ingredients: A determined team of charismatic criminals, a seemingly insurmountable challenge, and an extra helping of tension and suspense. With this one, you also get the added bonus of pirate treasure, which is a way cooler prize than you usually get. I mean, sure, you could just take a ton of cash out of a casino, or a few tons of gold out of some federal reserve…but isn’t it more fun to hunt down pirate gold?

The Vault is, apparently, the first R-rated movie Freddie Highmore has been in, which makes sense considering the last thing I remember seeing him in is either The Spiderwick Chronicles or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – neither of which is exactly festooned with adult content. And frankly, neither is The Vault. Literally the only reason this is rated R is the profanity, which at almost two dozen sexual expletives, eliminates itself from family movie night. However, depending on your position on cussing, this could be suitable for mature teens. Frankly, I’ve watched worse movies with my grandmother – not that she had a great time, but my point stands.

Even though The Vault isn’t the most original movie, and the average viewer can predict most of the plot, it’s still a lot of fun. Not every suspense flick needs to be unique and convoluted. Sometimes, you just want some fun, easy storytelling with creative problem solving. And, of course, pirates. Have I mentioned the pirate treasure yet? There’s pirate treasure in this, in case I didn’t. Put the kids to bed and get out the popcorn…