The Trust follows Las Vegas police officer Waters (Elijah Wood), who isn't very passionate about policework. One day, his superior Stone (Nicolas Cage) comes to him with the case file of a perp released on a suspiciously high bail amount. Stone investigates the perp and has discovered what appears to be a very secure vault. Waters, mainly out of boredom, is convinced to help Stone pull off a heist on this vault. But as the plot goes on, Stone is revealed to be increasingly volatile, and Waters is made a test how far he's really willing to go.
This is a pretty lean crime story in the Elmore Leonard vein, following a couple of seemingly normal guys who get swept up in a criminal enterprise. This is usually a strength, but the movie goes too lean. While it is kind of fun for a while, it becomes painfully obvious that this narrative isn't really heading anywhere. This is a story without a real payoff, the whole thing just petering out without resolving much at all. The film feels incomplete, the whole thing coming off as an empty technical exercise.
To its credit, the film does have style. These low budget thrillers tend to all look and feel the same. The Trust, at the very least, has a relatively distinct treatment. It quickly announces its distinctions in its first two sequences, as it cuts between the two main characters and brings attention to the difference in their energy. Just a little later, it lets an attempted criminal escape play out in the background of a conversation, the scene smoothly transitioning into the chaos of a chase in one fluid motion. The film displays a visual wit often missing in these movies.
The style goes a long way in keeping this film engaging, especially when combined with the performances of the two leads. There are few actors better than Nicolas Cage at playing intense weirdos. This isn't Cage working at 100%, but it is still a welcome dash of manic flavor. When Cage just starts repeatedly yelling a single line, it quickly becomes the most memorable portion of the film. He is matched well with Elijah Wood's weary deadpan. Together, the two are able to give the film a very compelling center, the dynamic between the two actors fueling the scenes.
But it only goes so far. At some point, even the healthy spark between Cage and Wood can't sustain this ultimately hollow story. The movie ends up teasing mysteries that it has no intention of clearing up. It adds elements that just don't pay off. When all is said and done, despite everything that happens, it becomes difficult to feel anything about it. It is as if the filmmakers just gave up telling a story at some point, failing to take advantage of the ingredients that are already there. The secondary characters not mattering at all, despite some impressive names filling in those roles. If all the film did was make something out of these characters, it would feel a whole lot more satisfying.
But one cannot fully dismiss The Trust. It may be designed as VOD fodder, but taken in that context, it emerges as the rare exception to the mediocrity of that milieu. It’s anchored by solid performances, and it tries just a little harder to make everything look a little more interesting. On the other hand, a good direct-to-video thriller is still a direct-to-video thriller. For all its merits, it doesn’t quite warrant the trip to the theater. Its failure to provide a payoff means it is still meant for the lowered expectations of home viewing.
My Rating:
