What happens when you take Nicolas Cage, Elijah Wood and a pair of first-time filmmaking brothers... and team them all together? The Trust, a pseudo-heist comedy, intends to find out. It’s the feature directorial debut from Alex and Ben Brewer, whose previous claim to fame was an MTV Video Music Award for Justin Bieber’s ‘Where Are U Now’. Luckily for the Brewer Bros., Nic Cage has never been selective when it comes to his roles. That being said, the actor’s willingness to work on just about anything appears to have paid off this time.
The 52-year-old Oscar winner plays Jim Stone, a crooked Las Vegas cop of possibly the most unique (and deranged) variety. He doesn’t strike you as particularly evil at first - in fact, he comes off as sort of timid and goofy initially - but progressively proves his wits and capacity for villainy over the course of the film. He’s joined by David Waters (Wood), a no frills pot-smoking officer who’s just trying to get by after a divorce from his wife.
After Stone is somehow the only member of the LVPD to notice an usually high bail receipt, the unlikely duo hatch a daring plan to steal a fortune from the source. Of course, things are never this simple - even in movies. It’s from this point that The Trust begins to evolve from a simple buddy cop comedy to a pulsating high octane thriller.
A lot of the tension derives from not just the heist plot, but Cage and Wood’s conflicted relationship on screen. The Brewers were smart to contrast their characters so sharply, and so while Waters fully understands the stakes and approaches the situation with serious caution, Stone carries out the mission while routinely making corny jokes, much to his partner’s frustration. Simply put, Nicolas Cage is very Nicolas Cage-y in this film.
The Trust takes a bit to rev into gear, but once the heist beings, it’s non-stop drama. Unfortunately, the climactic payoff falls a little flat - but the overall ride makes the finale tolerable. The Trust is a weird movie, and probably won’t attract too much interest from the box office, but Cage’s Jekyll and Hyde performance is definitely worth watching. It’s a solid debut from Alex and Ben Brewer, and I’m excited to see what they come up with next.
The Trust is available on DIRECTV on April 14, and arrives in theaters and VOD on May 13. Stay tuned to iDigitalTimes for continuing coverage of SXSW 2016.
