The Trust (film)

Plot

Sergeant David Waters and his boss/friend Lieutenant Jim Stone both work in the Evidence Management unit of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Disillusioned and bored with their jobs, they also find it hard to make ends meet. While going through case files, Jim comes to know of a drug dealer who has access to large amounts of money, as indicated by his bail receipt, which was paid in $200,000 cash.

Using his vacation days, Jim engages in a stint of undercover work at the same hotel as the drug dealer is employed and comes to discover that all of the merchandise the dealer and his gang move is taken to one building, and never moved again. David, after acquiring blueprints from the local planning office, discovers the dealer and his gang have built a large safe in the back of an industrial freezer in the building. Realising it is an easy hit, Jim and David secure items required for the heist, including a diamond tipped drill and unlicensed firearms, paying for them with illegally acquired cash from a corrupt colleague. They break into the apartment above the freezer building and muffle its two occupants, but Jim ends up shooting and killing one after he attempts to escape. After drilling and the use of improvised explosives, they are able to unlock and access the vault. David, who has become attached to the surviving female hostage, allows her to call her 3-year-old son's father to assure him that she is okay.

Jim and David search the safe, which contains vast quantities of diamonds, cash and gold coins. Despite Jim being elated, David becomes concerned that stealing so much valuable property from the gang will get them killed, and subsequently relocks the safe so Jim can't access it. Enraged, Jim threatens David at gunpoint, forcing him to reluctantly open the safe and unload all of the valuables. As they are packing up the drill, David kills Jim in a brief shootout and returns the contents to the safe. He then drives off with the hostage to drop her up north, assuring her of her freedom. Later, David sees two vans following him and he notices the phone number advertised on the back of one of them as the same number the hostage called earlier. Despite identifying himself as a police officer, David is shot dead by men in the vans, who rescue the woman (implied to have been a member of the same gang responsible for watching over the safe). The movie ends with David's badge and the drill being catalogued in the Evidence Management building where he and Jim used to work.

Cast

Production

On May 14, 2014, Nicolas Cage and Jack Huston joined the cast. On November 6, 2014, Saban Films acquired distribution rights to the film. On January 30, 2015, Elijah Wood joined the cast. On February 9, 2015, singer Sky Ferreira joined the cast. On February 18, 2015, Jerry Lewis joined the cast. Principal photography began on January 26, 2015.

Reception

The Trust received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 61%, based on 38 reviews, with an average rating of 5.5/10. On Metacritic, the film has a score of 58 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Release

The film premiered at South by Southwest on March 13, 2016. The film was released on DirecTV on April 14, 2016, before being released on VOD and in theaters on May 13, 2016, by Saban Films.