William Campbell

Karen Sharpe

Anita Ekberg

Berry Kroeger

Paul Fix

James Seay

Mike Mazurki

Robert Keys

Nancy Duke

Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez

Vivianne Lloyd

Robert E. Morrison

William H. Clothier

Burt Kennedy

Frank Gruber

Henry Vars

Andrew V. McLaglen

Harley Miller

Albert S. D'Agostino

Joe Hale

Dorcy Howard

Crime

Drama

Thriller

Man in the Vault

Batjac Productions

United States of America

Bowling for deposit boxes.

Adapted by Burt Kennedy from the Frank Gruber novel, The Lock and the Key, Man in the Vault is a minor 50s crime flick that has somehow been lumped into the film noir encyclopedias. Andrew V. McLaglen directs and William Campbell, Karen Sharpe, Anita Ekberg and Berry Kroeger star. Story has Campbell as a locksmith who gets coerced into a deposit box theft just as Sharpe turns his head romantically.

Amazingly, nothing much happens, there's a lot of talking and pouting, Campbell's teddy-boy quiff always holds court, while Kroeger tries to eat all the indoor scenery. William H. Clothier is utterly wasted on photography, only really getting to use his skills when the story enters out onto the real L.A. locations; which are actually the film's only saving grace. OK! The deposit box sequence has a modicum of suspense, the mystery element as Campbell tries to fathom out what's going on also works, but come the weak and cop-out finale you may well wish you had done the gardening instead. 5/10

English