What people who watched this movie missed so far...
Jim (Nicolas Cage) is probably still alive and planned this brilliantly. Jim knew that the safe was being watched over and that they would never leave alive or could flee. David (Elijah Wood) was tricked in to it and his suspicion toward the end was correct.
it's the perfect getaway, the girl can testify that Jim is dead and since no one is watching but going after David he can steal what he wants from the safe.
In the end when he seems to have been shot and lies in the kitchen I was expecting him to get up and scare David just like he did when he used the improvised explosive from the bullets to get to last inches of the safe. This scene was almost mirrored.
There are some hints :
-Jim father probably knew about the safe and told his son.
-Jim is standing in front of the great world largest gift shop when waiting for the gunseller (reference to the safe ?)
-David is checking his pulse with gloves on.
-Jim was wearing body armor
-Jim had enough bags and a cart, it is hinted that he knew exactly where he was going for.
David is a stoner, low life cop who is not to smart, this is obvious throughout the movie :
-stoner
-cleaning cat litter with a shirt
-Couldn't hold a relationship and sleeps with hookers
-JIm getting him to eat a lemon with tabasco
-Jim getting him to do al the surveillance
-Jim testing him with the russian roulettte routine, getting the 10k from the chinese
Jim is shown as an calculating, charismatic guy who knows what he is doing and is inventive and smart.
-the explanation of how to read a crime scene at the beginning
-going "undercover" in the casino
-using the homeless to take the pictures
-Find the german
-putting sun block on
-shooting the gun seller without blinking
-shooting the "guard" at the appartment and leaving the girl as the witness
-ready to kill a police officer who stumbled upon.