I just finished watching on cable this very intriguing and enjoyable Argentine movie called The Heist of the Century (ESP. El Robo del Siglo). Typical police thrillers aren’t usually my cup of tea, but I have to make an exception for this one. Its unique blend of quirkiness, sharp humor, and the undeniable chemistry between these iconic actors of Argentine cinema make it a standout. It’s based on real events of a bank heist which occurred in Buenos Aires in 2006 and appears a faithful and consistent retelling of the actual incident. Three of the principal protagonists in The Heist of the Century also featured in one of my favourite Latin American movies – The Secret in Their Eyes (2009) which I reviewed in 2019.
Storyline:
The film is based on a true story, the robbery of the Banco Río branch in the Buenos Aires town of Acassuso on Friday, January 13, 2006, which was robbed by a gang of six robbers armed with replicas of real weapons. They took 23 hostages and took approximately 19 million dollars from 147 safe deposit boxes.
This is undoubtedly one of those movies that’s best experienced with minimal prior knowledge of its coordination, events, and outcomes – just as I had the privilege of doing. It’s simply a funny way of representing what is considered one of the most ingenious robberies in the history of Argentina. I was certainly impressed by their ‘smarts’, attention to detail and laborious creativity to achieve near as possible the perfect large scale robbery.
The characters felt authentic, cunning but also likeable despite their despicable objective. Really imagine if your mad but smart left-field uncle decided to concoct a crazy plan with his mates to rob a bank and that is pretty much what this is, except ‘real’. I’m sure those who have been effected by a bank robbery don’t see the funny side at all. But there is one scene during their heist where a sequestered mobile phone from one of the hostages keeps ringing and the elderly owner declares its her mobile phone and the attention is due to it being her birthday. The priceless reaction of the robbers to this news and how the leader scolds one of the hostages for not singing ‘Happy Birthday’ with more gusto is one for the movie annals. I relayed it at the end of the post, but unfortunately I couldn’t find a translated version, but gather you’ll get the gist and find it worth your while.
This film is a throwback to films I can remember stemming from the 70s & 80s, of a bank heist including Pacino’s Dog Day Afternoon. The Heist of the Century does comedy and crime so well together. It’s a very fine movie, and I loved the actors as much as the comedy and it’s one you’ll enjoy although may leave an unsavoury taste in the mouth. If you can get past that, then you might enjoy it as much as I did.
References:
1. El robo del siglo (película de 2020) – Wikipedia
2. The Heist of the Century (2020) – IMDB
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
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