The Trust (2016) User Reviews

A Goofy Heist Movie that Veers Toward Darkness

[philipelliottrexy · 6/10 · 3 May 2019]

I don't know why the idea of Nicholas Cage and Elijah Wood starring in a crime thriller together is funny to me, but it is. & for its first half, THE TRUST is funny. But what starts out as a silly neo-noir veers suddenly toward a darker realm as Cage's goofy Las Vegas police officer (echoes of his BAD LIEUTENANT role, but only echoes) reveals his cold-blooded determination to get at the contents of a secret vault at all costs, causing a rift to occur between him & Wood's softer character.

THE TRUST is a heist movie, & it's when the heist begins that the movie really starts to shine. It takes the heist in creative, unexpected & funny directions, & during these parts is an enjoyable & engrossing film. The film wraps up way too suddenly, & overall is quite forgettable, but for a good chunk in the middle it had a certain spark while these two ridiculous men dug themselves deeper into the hole they never wholly grasped they were getting themselves into in the first place. Cage is fun to watch, & though more restrained than usual, his wild energy crackles from him like static off a bedsheet. The dialogue & handling of situations is nicely offbeat, & the script remains ontrack the whole way.

THE TRUST is worth a watch if you like neo-noirs, heist movies, or Nick Cage doing his goofy thing. Or, like me, all of the above.

Grabs you on the edge of your seat, then wanders off track like an extra from the Walking Dead

[blkwdw · 5/10 · 12 April 2016]

The rating is calculated like this...

9 out of 10 for ACTING/CINEMATOGRAPHY

0 out of 10 for Writing Suicide

Can't blame the original screenwriter as I am unaware if this was their undoing or the work of some higher up. Some people write to be unique and artistic, but not everyone can get away with it.

The Trust starts out as a brilliant film, but then writes into confusion around the 3rd act, and in the end figuratively leaves you atop a mountain like Frodo and Sam in part one of The Lord of the Rings (TLOTR). It gives the feeling that the director couldn't be bothered completing this film. Sadly there is no part two or three for this film. Had they gone with a more thorough and adaptive ending, this film might have been on the same caliber as Boondock Saints or Reservoir Dogs.

I hate to say it, but this is a perfect example for writers to watch so they can learn what NOT to do with the ending of of a screenplay...

A farcical heist movie led by the erratic Nic Cage we know and love.

[lnvicta · 6/10 · 3 October 2016]

Cage has been on a dry run for the past few years. Not only has he been starring in mediocre-bad movies, but he hasn't had a chance to be as fun and eccentric as we know he can be. It's like he's been on downers for a while, and now with The Trust, he finally got off those meds. This is the Nicolas Cage we love - silly, unpredictable, and hilarious. His antics aren't overbearing either thanks to co-lead Elijah Wood, who is the stoner counterpart to Cage and loosely serves as the voice of reason. The plot of The Trust is that Cage and Wood are cops who couldn't care less about their jobs and wind up stumbling across a drug operation that leads them to a secret vault. Then they decide to rob the place.

It starts off as an off-beat comedy. Cage and Wood share a brilliant rapport making it easy to gloss over the film's shortcomings. Then in the third act things become strangely dark and the fun lackadaisical tone drifts away. But until then, The Trust is a pleasant surprise with more depth than you'd think. The film is loaded with issues - the clunky narrative and inconsistent tone - but for Cage fans who are jonesing for a fix, The Trust will surely fill that void and at the very least provide a few good laughs.

Potential to be a great movie but ruined completely

[imrn_khan · 2/10 · 11 May 2016]

This movie had the potential to be something amazing, Nicholas cage provided some great dark comedy throughout the film, although character development wasn't great. What led cage to want to steal a vault? other than a shitty boss? Nonetheless you could overlook all of these shortfalls if they ended it well, but no...

SPOILER ALERT

Where do i start? It made no sense, firstly, Elijah's character is spooked by the guns in the closet and has a change of heart. Really? so you believed that the gang of people who are hiding a vault of diamonds/cash/drugs whatever behind concrete and steel using a dry cleaners as a front wern't dangerous? It wasn't enough for you to have such a dramatic change of mind. If it was the woman tied up in the bathroom then there wasn't enough screenplay to show him warming up to her and not wanting to let her get shot.

The next issue is that you tried to convince cage to leave everything behind and leave without stealing anything from the safe. So you're telling me the mob/mafia whatever they are wouldn't come after you anyway for shooting one of their guys and trying to break into the vault in the first place.

After that you have to deal with the fact Elijah just shot and killed another police officer, leaving two dead bodies behind and wasn't worried that the police may find out and link him to it? He put all the diamonds back so has no getaway plan, has no money, owes the other dude the 10k he borrowed to buy the drill and was gonna go back to work the next day?

What a truly terrible ending to a decent film from cage after a while. what a shame...

Not your typical VOD flick!

[Matt-Canalcon · 7/10 · 9 April 2016]

I saw the trailer for 'The Trust' a few weeks ago and I thought it looked interesting since I'm a fan of Nicolas Cage. He had a lot of bad movies recently but also a few good under-looked movies (Joe, Frozen Ground, Drive Angry). It's fair to say that 'The Trust' is a good entry in Nicolas Cage's volatile filmography.

The ending might be the weak point of the film, maybe don't go in with too much expectations, but Nicolas Cage and Elijah Wood were really surprising. They had a couple of funny moments together, and they were definitely carrying this movie.

I love a movie with a cool soundtrack, and I thought the directors (Alex & Benjamin Brewer) did a nice job setting the tone for this Las Vegas caper movie with great music and funny scenes. Elijah Wood is playing a stoner cop and I thought it was a good role for him. The acting was really on point the entire movie.

The Bobo scene was hilarious, and the whole 'heist' takes different twists and turns.

Even though the first hour is the best part and it falls short in the last 30 minutes, I recommend giving 'The Trust' a try if you like crime/comedy movies, or if you're a fan of Nicolas Cage.

7.5/10

Never been so disappointed | nonsense story & ending - Cage is great

[mybeat · 3/10 · 5 June 2016]

This is my first review, because the film started good and then there was this horrible ending! Without any logic or depth in character. Really i mean no logic at all. It just makes you hate this movie and feels like it stole your time!

The acting was good. I liked Nicolas Cage and his role.

*Spoilers*

Why would you not trust the guy who serves you potentially hundreds of millions worth of diamonds?

And why do you trust a woman/hostage that you don't know at all, but is waiting in a house with other criminals, where there are more weapons than in an armory like Sil said in his review!

Why are you so willing to kill your partner without any reason to doubt him? Its just stupid and I usually like movies that have a twist and a different ending than the usual Hollywood blockbuster. But this is just nonsense for the sake of an unusual ending.

Deserves more eyes on it.

[matthewssilverhammer · 7/10 · 8 September 2017]

Another deep dive into Netflix has yielded a surprising little gem that starts lighter and funnier than I expected, before sliding into a mess of lies and death. Cage and Wood have great chemistry, bolstered by the sharp patter in the script. It's a steady snowball of tragedy whose plot isn't quite shocking but has plenty of unexpected turns around each corner.

Nonsensical screenplay

[silmarieni · 1/10 · 9 April 2016]

Wow I had not watched a movie with such a nonsensical screenplay for a long long time, and I advise you to better use your time.

The first half, while incoherent, still makes the story go forward. But the second part, the heist, does not make sense at all.

Why would you not trust the guy who serves you potentially hundreds of millions on a plate, the guy who financed the whole operation and worked his ass off to find the information, the guy who is supposed to be your friend, the guy you have been more or less working with for years?

If you had such misgivings in the first place, why go along ?

And why are you so willing to trust a woman that you don't know, but is waiting in a house with other criminals, where there are more weapons than in an armory ?

Why, when you have opened the safe and the millions are ready to be taken, do you let her make a call ? If you are so gullible to believe her reason for the call, why are you so stupid to think it can't way 30 minutes that the wealth is transferred in the van and you are ready to go, before letting her have her phone call?

Why are you so willing to kill your partner in crime without any reason to doubt him?

Why are you so stupid that you waste time bringing back the charged money and jewel, and put them back in the safe, as if A. You are such a genius you absolutely remember where each belongs, although you did not take part the load up in the bags and did not even watch you partner fill them up. B. You are so sure nobody will come, and you have all the time in the world, and why not make a pizza party while waiting for the mafia to reclaims its due ?

Cage at his wackiest! (Revelry Review)

[MattBayliss · 7/10 · 5 May 2016]

Nicolas Cage is and always will be my favorite actor, his overall quirkiness and ability to play a complete different personality in every movie astounds me. In The Trust he is at his wackiest, this dark comedy thriller has him playing a deluded corrupt cop who has a plan to pull of a massive heist with his buddy cop played by Elijah Wood who has no idea of Cage's plan. Sounds like a great plot right? Despite this film getting below average reviews I still dived in and watched it, and I wasn't disappointed, this film managed to exceed the low expectations I went in with.

Surprisingly Cage and Wood had really good chemistry on screen together, the humor worked well when it was used and managed to get a few cheap laughs out of me. Cage has pumped out a lot of movies lately, most of which have been bad, but among the good ones that he has released such as 'Joe', this one I believe is up there with it. It managed to entertain right to the end.

The cinematography was pretty good, considering the budget was very low for the film. The acting was believable and had me engaged throughout the film. Whilst the film lost it's way in the last 20-30 minutes it still held it's self well as a solid B movie, with many different twists and turns thrown at the viewer it was very hard to predict how it was going to end.

The acting was on point for the entirety of the film with Cage and Elijah Wood both proving that they are still A grade actors. I believe that this one is another great entry into Cage's volatile filmography, it makes me happy to see that he still has faith in himself to bring out a good movie. If you are a fan of comedy/crime films, give this one a go!

Can't believe they messed it up towards the end.

[mark1732 · 4/10 · 9 April 2016]

I started watching this film and was really in to it cause I like Nicholas Cage and there was some great acting. It was a good movie up until the last 15 minutes. unbelievable how the writers screwed up this film at the end! I guess they where trying to do something different and maybe some people liked it but I was not happy at all and felt I just wasted my time. The reviews for this where not good and almost didn't watch it but of course I wanted to see it cause of Nicholas. If Nicholas wants get back on track he should not be involved in scripts like this. This movie has one the worst and endings I have ever seen and the end leaves more questions than answers. Don't bother watching!

Smart little movie

[settdittnavnher · 8/10 · 15 April 2016]

I like this movie. It was smart, fun and kinda strange. But I like it. The best movie with Nicolas Cage in years.

I think a lot of people don't get what is happening. If you think about what happened in the movie, it will all fall into place. This movie will be underrated by many. I think I got it. This is a thinker.

I would recommend this to people who are a little tired of the same old super-hero movie type and who are looking for a movie that you will have on your mind for a while. A nice surprise from Nicolas Cage and Elija Wood.

8/10 for me on this movie

Uneven But Mildly Entertaining Heist Movie

[Michael_Elliott · 2 April 2017]

The Trust (2016)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Las Vegas police officer Stone (Nicolas Cage) stumbles across some strange paperwork, which leads him to look into a mysterious building. He soon starts to realize that there's some sort of vault inside and he talks another officer (Elijah Wood) into breaking in with him. Soon the two realize it's much bigger than they thought.

THE TRUST comes from directors Alex, Ben and Benjamin Brewer and for the most part it is an entertaining and somewhat captivating heist movie. That's not to say the film is perfect or even a good one but at the same time it's certainly worth watching as a Redbox rental or a free viewing like I did with Netflix. The film has some weak moments at the start and I'd argue some of the humor is flat but there's no question that the final forty-five minutes are very good.

As I said, the worst part of the movie was some of the strange and rather pointless black comedy at the start of the picture. At first I thought I was watching some sort of weak comedy because it was just rather annoying to say the least. Once you get to the heart of the movie, which is the actual heist, you look back at these early scenes and really have to wonder what the point of them were. Once the movie is over you've basically seen a good heist movie yet your brain remembers back to the start of the picture and it really doesn't make much sense.

I'd also say Wood's character changes throughout the film also didn't make much sense. I'm not going to go into spoilers but to say his character was a bit strange would be an understatement. With all of that said, there's no question that the final portion of this movie is very good. Once the two cops get their plan in motion we get a couple surprises along the way and I'd also argue that the drilling sequences were very well directed. Again, I'm not going to spoil how everything ends but there are some good twists that will remind you of the film noirs from the 1950s.

Both Cage and Wood are good in their roles and they certainly help keep you glued into the movie. Cage really stands out with a pretty laid back and entertaining performance, although there's one sequence where he goes ballistic like only he can. The supporting players are nice as well and we get a brief scene with Jerry Lewis. Yes, that Jerry Lewis. Technically speaking the music and cinematography are both very good and this helps THE TRUST as well.

A good watch

[tin-B · 6/10 · 27 April 2019]

You don't get emotionally invested in the characters, but all are well played and entertaining. Loopholes in some of the story, don't be too critical. There are some complaints about the following spoilers in other reviews:

1. They spend too much time at the crime scene. Well... yes, they do. 2. Elijah Wood let the female hostage call someone for a lame reason. Well, this isn't a loophole in the story, it's just something stupid a lot of people would do, obviously his character wasn't the brightest bulb. 3. Elijah;s character was willing to shoot his partner for lame reasons such as doubting his plan and disagreeing with whether they should continue to steal the stuff. Well, no... he was willing to shoot his partner because he couldn't bring himself to be part of killing the poor little lady they tied up in the bathroom. Another weakness (or strength) many people would have.

Good movie without having to get all tied up in knots about it, have fun.

Could have been a really good movie, but sadly ... NOT!

[mr-roboto-kilroy · 1/10 · 7 April 2016]

I read a few comments on other websites which stated that this movie was a flop. I like some of the stuff that Nick Cage and Elijah Wood have done on their own. So I thought them acting together, might work. I was right. I gave it a shot. I found right off that the character development was excellent. Also writing seems humorous and intriguing. So you may ask why I only rated it "one star". Without giving away any of the movie, the ending was very disappointing. So much so, that I wish I didn't watch it. Well, I can't recommend this to anyone. At least the actors got paid. It wasn't their fault. It was just bad writing and direction. Yes, I said "direction". The director could have demanded a rewrite of the last 15 minutes of the film, but did not.

Not terrible but not satisfying either

[Duchino · 5/10 · 12 April 2016]

Nicolas Cage is both the butt of movie jokes and a respectable multirole meme, since he's played everything from cult films to shitty flicks (including ridiculous evangelist ones). Lately, he's been very good in stuff like "Bad Lieutenant: Port of New Orleans" (2009) and "Joe" (2014) which was a great modern example of cinéma vérité. In this wonky production, his smarmy opportunist character is even likable, but unsuccessfully flanked by Wood's reluctant partner in crime; while the small-time heist scheme is enjoyable, the succession of events turns out as anti-climactic and disappointing, without much fun or any sort of accomplishment. There's a lack of a third party and a good female lead, besides a heavier dose of irony. The Jerry Lewis cameo was a random surprise, but good for him: I thought he was dead.

Nicolas Cage's Best Performance in Years!

[luke-donnelly · 6/10 · 6 April 2016]

"The Trust" follows two Police Officers in Las Vegas (Nicolas Cage and Elijah Wood) as they work together to pull off a heist in order to rip off drug dealers. The story masterfully blends a Buddy-Cop Comedy with a dark undertones. During the first two acts of the film, it plays off as a Buddy-Cop Comedy, but as it nears its final act, things turn for the worst and the film switches to a Dark Thriller. The mix of variety in the film is very well crafted. The directors of the film, Alex and Benjamin Brewer do a fantastic job as it is their first feature film that they've made!

Nicolas Cage and Elijah Wood are the main characters of the film. Nicolas Cage's character, Jim Stone, is more of an anti-hero whereas Elijah Wood's character, David Waters, is a quirky hero stuck in the wrong place and the wrong time. Cage and Wood's performances are the standout of the film, their different forms of ideologies make their characters banter back and forth more interesting to engage with. This is by far Cage's best work in years!

If you're interested in a decent heist film or just wanting to watch a fun Nicolas Cage performance, this is one to not miss out on.

Wood and Cage should be ashamed of themselves

[sinisterblade · 1/10 · 17 April 2016]

I can not stress how pointless of a watch this was. Wood and Cage should be ashamed of themselves for agreeing to make this movie after reading the script. The movie has no real climax except the viewers complete and utter disappointment.

I usually enjoy movies with Cage or Wood but this is a new low for the both of them and i don't think i would ever consider watching or spending any money on any movie either of them appear in after seeing this crappy piece of "art". The same feeling i had when i watched Will Smith in "Focus", never would i pay any money to watch a movie Smith is in after that.

The story line seemed to have some real potential but the writers slept half way through writing the script and i guess the producers just decided to go with an unfinished script.

Trust this Movie

[ravishi · 7/10 · 20 April 2016]

I enjoyed this film. The ending certainly leaves you without the expected gratification of a usual caper movie but that's what makes it good.

'The Trust' makes you think like a good book makes you think, engaging you to ask questions and search for answers. I am not so much inclined to resolve the plot puzzle, rather I'm reflecting upon the ideas of trust, conscience, choice, determination and such.

I think many of the blockbuster capers we're used to send a subliminal message I feel compelled to resist. They tend to condone crime wrapping it in humour and charisma. You can hardly account for such a subtle message but your system of valours is nevertheless affected or at least challenged. Anyway I feel they don't help civil and moral education and only aim to entertain. I disagree with such irresponsibility. However, the Brewer brothers' film does not enter this category, I'm happy to say.

Disregard the negative comments

[Marcus-Aurelius90 · 2 July 2017]

This was a really good movie. In order to defend this movie, I must mention things that you may consider spoilers. Okay valiant film fan, read on.

Other reviewers are judging this movie unfairly. This may be due to the poor career choices Nicholas Cage has made of late. Yes he has made many stinkers recently, but this isn't one of them so don't let that prevent you enjoying this film. Also many claim the ending is bad. I disagree.

Two cops played by Cage and Wood plan a heist. Cage is the blustering leader and Woods is the hesitant cynic; Fairly straight forward elements so far. They plan the heist, carry it out and then the pressure gets too much for both of them and the plan goes awry. This is a standard boiler plate plot as far as crime fiction goes; the failed heist film.

That plot structure doesn't detract from movies like Reservoir Dogs, Dog Day Afternoon or Scarface. Its a staple that is as old as 1920s and 1930s crime films that always had to end with the criminals suffering for their crimes - crime doesn't pay. So I don't know why everyone is so damned surprised. Another lesson learned from studying real criminals is that almost all of them get caught doing something stupid.

This is realistic, but people see it in a film and they freak out over it as though it would never happen in real life, when people that study crime would disagree. I think the negativity over this film has to do with the limitation of certain people's understanding of the crime genre, true crime stories, than any failure on the part of this film.

waste of time and so boring

[mishawyaa · 1/10 · 13 April 2016]

i will not talk about the end but the whole movie story is so bad and the idea is like nothing new and the storyline slow more than a turtle and all the actions done by Nicolas Cage, Elijah Wood was so predictable and i just felt bad about how would Nicolas Cage and Elijah Wood act such a bad movie with a bad storyline and finally at the end i felt sorry about my wasted time but i think this move could done better with better directing and a better camera man and a better ending cause those things make a real difference on each movie with such big stars actors that's my way of feeling about this movie and it made me feel angry and despaired.

Some Heisty Fun with a Dynamic Duo in a Flawed Story

[TwistedContent · 6/10 · 30 January 2021]

I very much expected it to be a rather typical action drivel, but Brewer brothers actually have taken a more restrained approach, avoiding being over-the-top, trying to make a grounded crime drama, heist flick / cop flick, but not without some pulp. Even some little comedy. And, best of all, this adventure is led by the unprecedented dynamic duo of Cage and Wood.

Stone (Nicolas Cage) and Waters (Elijah Wood) are two cops with a hunch about a shady drug operation, they decide to go rogue and investigate, and find a bank vault with unknown intriguing contents... Thus a cop/heist flick was born. Who knew that Nicolas Cage and Elijah Wood have such a terrific dynamic between them - both are very well cast. The character of Stone might as well been written with Cage in mind, man's always good with eccentric or oddball characters. It is the most satisfying part of "The Trust" - performances and their quirky characters interactions. Having said that, the character development is lacking, fault of the script. The story's not without flaws, blanks are left in what motivation propelled specific characters, who and what they were stealing from, etc., the ending's kind of nicely grim for my taste, but a general lackluster at the same time.

Even though part paint-by-the-numbers, part lets-just-have-fun, "The Trust" together makes an easily enjoyable heist flick, though largely reaching for drama rather than white-knuckle-thriller. Pacing's reasonably consistent from the very start, dialogue is always decent, plot's a little slow but not boring, and acting endures, there's enough to be engaged with. When we've gotten to the heist itself, it gets the most interesting, steadily going step by step, problems on the way, heavier drama and emotion setting in. Also, with the 9 mil budget, "The Trust" didn't have a lot of trouble to appear technically confident throughout.

Among some music videos, "The Trust" is the only feature film Alex and Benjamin Brewer have directed, and it is a cool one, one that features two great performances and some tried and proven heisty fun. Check it out for these ingredients. My rating: 6/10.

After Thoughts

[freethinkingworld · 5/10 · 24 April 2023]

I surprisingly liked this film more on rewatch. I think Nicolas Cage and Elijah Wood do a solid job acting together and blend better than I thought they would when I firstvsaw the cover. My first watch of this I was turned off to it When the darker scenes started happening because I was only wanting to see more crazy Nicolas Cage. But on this recent rewatch if it I appreciated it so much more. I think it's a solid film and a bit of a Cult classic in the Cage community. The ending is pretty interesting and one I think about a lot 🤔. Like who was in the van at the end, and who was the girl! Definitely finding a reddit thread on this films now.

Enjoyable film, well worth a watch on a chilled afternoon.

[andrew-fielden · 8/10 · 17 April 2016]

There seem to be a "few" people having problems with the ending. I did not. These people, the type used in focus groups by the major studios, help screw films over, expecting "by the numbers" endings.

This ending has more of a 70's tone. I enjoyed it.

The actors did a fantastic job, I was transported into their world remarkably quickly. I didn't see "Frodo".. I didn't see "kooky" over the top Nic Cage. Just 2 quirky cops embarking on a caper.

The pace, cinematography, direction, and soundtrack helped make this a fun Sunday afternoon watch.

I hope you arrive at this film in a similar frame of mind as I did. Despite the bad reviews I gave it a chance, and am glad I did. Great performance by both leads.

Better than expected

[alexanderstephencraig · 7/10 · 27 November 2016]

Without spoilers, the two things I didn't like were a lack of backstory on all of the characters and the overall point of the film. I'm sure there are theories in other people's reviews but I like to write my own review before reading others because it ends up being some of their opinion through my mouth. Anyways, the ending of the film just felt, not like a cliffhanger so much but just empty and not over. I guess there's a sense of it being just another thing. Hard to explain without spoilers. I did like Nicolas Cage in this film. I wouldn't have watched the film if it didn't have Elijah Wood in it because he picks good projects; Cage however, seems to grab up any and all movies now. For example, he has five 2017 projects in production currently, and it's November 27th 2016. I liked the story; it was unpredictable and entertaining. It however would have been better, as I just stated, if it was longer and had a better ending and background on the characters. The acting was good. Nicolas Cage and Elijah Wood played characters they normally do, Cage being eccentric, and Wood being skittish. And all other actors were good as well. I love Ethan Suplee and his character has potential but was only in the story to help move it along. The directing, color, cinematography, etc.; all Editing of the film was good. It had some very cool shots, one of it being while Elijah Wood's character is standing under a street light against a fence. Why? Watch the movie to find out. Altogether, I watched the film on Netflix so it's basically free, but it's worth spending money to rent. Not the best film but it was entertaining. I would consider watching again in the future. Worth the watch.

Not reviewing the actors, rather the ending.

[mrmachoz · 4/10 · 6 April 2016]

I've used IMDb for years now. But I've never felt like I needed to make an account and write a review. But the ending of this movie might be the worst I've ever seen. It made me so angry, that I felt compelled to make an account and write a review.

If I would be in front of the writers of this movie, i'd hit them in the face just for ruining this movie so badly with the ending.

Watching it was good. And the acting for really good. And I was really hoping for a good ending. How can you mess up the ending this badly?

No words to describe how disappointed I am......

Don't watch if you don't like getting disappointed.