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Polish director Juliusz Machulski's capers inspired by Rififi and The Sting offer a hint of the potential missing from Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's Eleven and Twelve romps. Vabank tells the story of a master safe cracker named Kwinto (played by Machulski's father Jan) who, once released from prison, exacts revenge on Kramer (Leonard Pietraszak), a former accomplice who turned him in and went on to become an even more crooked bank manager. Kwinto's plan is detailed and tricky, and not without the dark leavening of violence to alert audiences to the high stakes between the two men. Vabank II takes the premise a step further by following Kramer who six years later feels it's time to seek vengeance on Kwinto. The gamesmanship feels more real because the threats are deadly serious. But that doesn't mean Machulski forfeits the right to inject a bit of sly humor into the proceedings. Soderbergh and his talented A-list cast wink and nudge the audience with insider jokes. With the Vabank films, there was less need to completely hoodwink us, therefore we feel like partners in the elaborate con job even when we don't always know what's happening.
By Jason Gargano
Rating:  [4 of 5 Stars!] |
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