As a kid, documentaries always caught my eye. I was the kid who would rather sit inside and watch The History Channel instead of making a snowman and risking the dreadful thought of getting freezing snow in my mittens.
The documentary “$uperthief” far from disappoints.
The documentary is a detailed description of the United California Bank burglary in 1972, breaking records as the biggest burglary in the history of the United States at the time.
The film centers around Phil Christopher, the “security man” of the heist, who is coined the “Superthief.”
The film features interviews with Christopher, as well as former FBI agents, police officers, family members and old friends of Christopher.
The bank robbery is described in detail, outlining the problems of the entire heist.
Pictures and dramatizations are displayed throughout the documentary, successfully depicting the actions and images being described.
During interviews with Christopher, his house and pictures of his family are shown. Unlike many other documentaries, it looks realistic, and we get to see a humanizing part of the subject
instead of a bland backdrop of a sky or window frame.
The documentary has plenty of humorous quotations and facts about the burglary. I was never bored and the new information about the burglary was attention-grabbing throughout the entire film.
My favorite part of the documentary is the part that explores Christopher and his companions’ downfalls.
After renting a condo to live in during the heist, the robbers wiped the place down, removing their fingerprints from any possible surface, but they forgot to start the dishwasher.
Every one of their fingerprints was found on the dirty dishes and utensils in the dishwasher.
If I ever felt sorry for a criminal, it would be now.
I’m sure Christopher and his buddies wished they just bought paper plates. The garbage would start to smell, but there’s no forgetting to throw that out.
On the dimmer side, the documentary was full of PowerPoint-style transitions, clashing with the professional manner of the entire movie.
If you can put aside the whizzing sound of “Paul Chamberlain, Fmr. FBI Agent” flying across the screen, the documentary is full of interesting facts and storylines, and I would recommend the film to any history buff, robbery enthusiast or anyone with 90 minutes to spare.
Grade: A-
