The Vault follows Thom, a gifted young engineer who has just left Cambridge. He turns down rich job offers from oil companies because he wants to use his skills for useful work. Walter, a treasure hunter, recruits him to steal old coins from a hidden vault under the Bank of Spain. The crew must solve a deadly water trap and finish the robbery during Spain’s 2010 World Cup final, which gives the film a bright, fast, and playful thriller tone.
The film has a small amount of political content in its opening scenes. Thom calls Big Oil a corporate hellscape and says he would rather help bring water to parts of Africa. The film also presents Lorraine as the only woman in the main crew, while giving her a real job as a disguise expert and pickpocket. These points add a mild environmental and gender message, but the story soon returns to puzzles, teamwork, betrayal, romance, and the joy of beating a powerful bank.
Community feedback
Was our 12% Woke rating accurate?
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for The Vault.
Woke representation / casting
Lorraine is the lone woman in the main crew, and the film gives her a skilled disguise and pickpocket role. Interview coverage says the actor worked to make her a full team member instead of just “the girl.” The rest of the cast’s mixed European backgrounds fit an international heist, so the movie does not show a strong diversity-first casting pattern.
10%
Woke political dialogue
Thom rejects rich offers from Big Oil and calls it a corporate hellscape. He says he wants to use his skills to help reduce water problems in the Sahel. The film uses this in the opening and then moves to the robbery, so the political dialogue stays brief.
12%
Identity-driven story themes
Not present. The plot centers on a robbery, a treasure hunt, and a romance. It does not make race, sex, sexuality, or identity politics the main subject.
0%
Western institutional / cultural critique
The opening scene treats Big Oil and corporate work as a bad path for Thom, who wants his skills to help people instead. This is a brief modern anti-corporate message. The main conflict then turns to a bank vault and does not attack Western culture, family, religion, or other institutions.
8%
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. The film is an original heist story rather than an adaptation with established characters or canon. Sir Francis Drake and the real World Cup appear as story details without identity-based rewrites.
0%
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Not present. Audience posts and reviews mostly discuss plot holes, acting, and the familiar heist formula. No major complaint says the film pushes DEI, identity politics, or activist politics.
0%
Creator track record context
Borja González Santaolalla co-created #Luimelia, a series centered on a lesbian relationship and LGBTQ+ representation. Sandra Hermida has produced documentaries about trans artists and supported women-in-film mentoring. Paloma Molina was an executive producer on Adú, a drama about African migration and racial inequality. Other key creators have little public activist history, and this film does not strongly carry those subjects.
12%
Production
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