The Trust

From sibling directors Alex and Ben Brewer, The Trust introduces a rather unusual (but quite refreshing) new cop duo, consisting of Nicolas Cage and Elijah Wood, in this Las Vegas heist-crime-comedy-thriller mix.

As expected, Nicolas Cage’s character is somewhat off-the-wall and unconventional, providing numerous laughs throughout the film and offsetting some of its darker tones. Elijah Wood takes a new direction and is weirdly impressive in his role. His anxious and tentative character, David Waters, works well against the contrastingly goofy and daring Jim Stone (Cage). The unlikely pair decides to team up in secret when an opportunity to make some hard cash suddenly arises, offering some newfound excitement in their otherwise dull and unfulfilling lives. They begin to investigate, taking matters into their own hands with some dodgy on-the-side detective work.

Seedy images of corruption and washed-out shots of dirty, gritty American backstreets are mixed in with scenes of bright neon lights, lurid cocktails and pretty waitresses in short skirts, epitomising the two very different sides to the infamous Las Vegas and helping to set the scene for Jim and David’s shady dealings.

The Trust moves along quite quickly, making it one of those films that can be occasionally hard to keep up with plot-wise. However, it’s really worth following through as it continuously picks up momentum and Jim and David’s characters and relationship develop in an unexpected way. The future is uncertain as the duo digs deeper into an underground world of crime and exploitation, which in turn brings out their own more sinister sides, eventually turning them against each other with grim consequences. The film reaches its climax with a genuine mixture of emotions and moral dilemmas after a surprisingly dark plot twist.

The Trust serves as a simple but intelligent and edgy new take on the traditional heist movie, allowing Nick Cage to do what he does best onscreen, this time accompanied by the wide-ranging talent of Elijah Wood.

 

Jo Rogers

The Trust will be released nationwide on 27^th May 2016.

Watch the trailer for The Trust here: