$uperthief is a documentary produced by Osiris Entertainment detailing the biggest bank heist in the U.S. at the time, which took place at the United California Bank in 1972. It was an unprecedented burglary that would change the way bank security was handled in the state, and netted between an estimate of $30 million to $100 million in cash, jewels, and bonds. The crew picked the perfect bank to rob as it was used by the affluent and at the center of a wealthy community, as it was notorious for hiding money people didn’t want the IRS to find. It was a crew of 7 men that pulled off this heist, which lasted 3 days, The FBI would be brought in and even they never saw anything like this. The burglars blew a hole in the roof and took everything from the safety deposit boxes in the vault. There’s been so much misinformation surrounding this heist that Tommy Reid, the director and producer, sought to clear this up with his investigation and interviews with one man involved Phil Christopher, who earned the nickname Superthief. And so we’re led not only through the events of those 3 days and the planning that led up to it, but we’re shown how Phil got involved in the criminal lifestyle at an early age in Collinwood, which was described by former Cleveland Chief of Police, Ed Kovacic, as “if there was a hall of fame for burglars and safecrackers, it would be in Collinwood.” And finally, we’re shown the mistakes that led to the crew’s capture even though the heist itself was almost flawless.

Seeing as how I just recently posted my Grand Theft Auto V review, a game which has heists as part of a crew as a major game play element, I wanted to see how one was really done when Superthief came across my radar. And to hear it from those who were not just involved in the heist but law enforcement in terms of what this heist changed, and how the crew was eventually caught was more than intriguing to me. It opens up with a summary of the burglary that took place and the names of the crew members involved, among them Phil Christopher and Amil Dinsio. One thing that was immediately clear at the start of this documentary was the 70s style of it from the imagery used right down to the music. There are no elaborate re-enactments here but there is actual footage from the scene of the crime, and it works very well because part of the understanding of how this crime was able to succeed was due to what was standard in banks in California at that time, or rather what wasn’t standard, and made this bank the perfect target. And we’re given a relatively brief history of Collinwood, and how it was home to the mafia and there were murders, car bombings and the best burglars in the nation at that time. Through interviews with law enforcement and one of Phil’s friends, Buddy Pecnik, the view was that there must have been something in the air or coming off the water because of the high rate of crime at the time. This wasn’t a life that Phil Christopher was originally involved in as he was focused on sports growing up, and was quite successful in winning trophies in archery, baseball and other sports. Things changed for him when he was diagnosed with rheumatic fever, and his health became so bad that his parents forbid him to play sports even after he recovered. But his competitive mentality didn’t go away and it instead would change to wanting to be the best in his new “hobby,” which would ultimately be being the best at disabling alarms and burglary.

However we don’t learn all of this from the very beginning, and one of the things that makes this documentary so enjoyable is that it’s thorough without feeling methodical. And to take a burglary that took place 40 years ago and retell the events in a way that allows one to step back in time and understand not only the environment in which this took place but also the mentality of one of the masterminds behind it, as well as what led up to this. This is also possible, of course, because of Phil Christopher and his first hand recounting of his life and this heist. For example, one of the rumors surrounding this heist was that the crew planned to hit it because President Nixon kept secret funds in that bank and they could net $30 mil from that alone. Phil would debunk that rumor and also make it clear that it would’ve been insane to go after the President’s money because so much heat would’ve come down on them it wouldn’t have been worth it. And the meticulous detail the burglary is recounted clarifies each crew member’s role, the difficulty they came across, why it took 3 days and how they were able to buy more time.

And the way the burglary was laid out when the crew encountered some difficulty through the recounting of Phil’s life was the perfect way to give viewers a glimpse into the mind of someone who was a career criminal at that point, and for lack of a better word, appreciate what went into this. Phil used to spend hours working on alarm systems in his home trying to find ways to beat them, and he had a connect with an ADT employee. There were also connections with the local police dept, connections with the mafia and how he worked his way up earning trust and a name for himself. And it’s done in a way that doesn’t necessarily glorify the criminal acts as opposed to giving an understanding of what went into this, and also begs the question of what could have been if this determination, ingenuity and loyalty was placed elsewhere.

There are lessons in this documentary about misplaced loyalty, ego, and the cost of being a career criminal as the investigation would uncover simple mistakes made that ultimately led to them being caught. There is also a lesson about second chances and even potential redemption as well. What fascinated me the most about this documentary wasn’t just the detail put into the heist and being successful in pulling it off, but the detail put into the portrait painted of the life of Phil Christopher, the mastermind behind the heist being successful.

SUMMARY

$uperthief: Inside America’s Biggest Bank Score is a very thorough documentary that shows how one of the biggest bank heists in U.S. history was pulled off while detailing the life and mentality of Phil Christopher, aka Superthief. It recounts in a clear manner why this heist was so significant and impacted the way law enforcement treated such cases, while also debunking the rumors that have built up over the years. The first hand accounts are informative yet the visual style of the documentary as well as the way it’s structured is entertaining and after watching it I was satisfied in addition to being intrigued and wanting to know more of what became of the other members of the crew. I highly recommend $uperthief because it’s a solid, informative and entertaining documentary that covers its material wonderfully.

$uperthief : Inside America’s Biggest Bank Score is now available on VOD (https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/superthief/id741518645) from Osiris Entertainment