Creating a bank heist movie that’s unique and can bring a distinct formula to dole out the action is not an easy feat. Creating a bank heist movie that’s set almost entirely in a single location and doesn’t ever feature the heist itself on screen seems not only impossible, but bordering on absurd. Writer/director Rick Ives somehow manages to take all of these points, combine the ingredients into one pot, and create one heck of a thrilling robbery movie in Solid Rock Trust.

The film opens in the large warehouse where we’ll spend most of our time with Maddie (Koko Marshall), who is toggling back and forth between several burner cell phones. With each phone call, she’s speaking in a different accent, and acting with a different personality with whomever is on the other line. The ease and talent with which she does this is immediately transfixing, and throws the spotlight on the acting chops of Marshall within the first few moments; something that will only intensify as the movie goes on. We quickly learn that Maddie is the mastermind and ringleader behind an impending bank heist, and the people she’s speaking with are the hired guns, so to speak, sent out to execute the well orchestrated crime.

It’s through these phone calls that we get the sense that Maddie isn’t exactly telling each team member the same things. While they may not know all the pieces of the plan, Maddie seems confident and composed that this will all go off without a hitch, as she paces the room bouncing between phone calls and personas. Of course, nothing is ever that simple, especially not an elaborate plot to steal millions, and once the heist begins, the scheme starts to unravel. Maddie must think on her feet, over and over, as she tries desperately to keep the train on the tracks, while contending with betrayal, miscues, and swerves. 

Solid Rock Trust blends an intriguing storyline with an absolutely captivating performance by Marshall to produce a film that proves when you think outside the box and challenge yourself as a creator, you sometimes can catch lightning in a bottle. There are a lot of components where if done slightly differently, would result in a jumbled mess of a plot. The fact that it’s set entirely in one room, with the majority of the weight resting on one actor’s shoulders, and the rest of the cast showing up only in voiceover form, on paper sounds like it shouldn’t work. And yet it does. This is a story that grips you from the beginning and tightens its grasp to completely immerse you. There’s not ever a dull moment, save for one piece of filler involving two strangers who unknowingly crash the party at the midway point. While it seems to be there to throw a different wrench in the tension, and possibly provide an added, but unnecessary plot point, it would have been just as fine without this scene entirely.

Solid Rock Trust is a smartly written thriller that leans heavily on the talent of Marshall, who steals the show with her prowess and charisma. Hopefully she’ll work with Ives again in the future, because the two appear to bring out the best in one another. Ives certainly knows how to weave an intricate and compelling tale, while striving to deliver a product that’s fresh and compelling. 

9 out of 10