The Heist of the Century

An account of a bank robbery that took place in Argentina on 13 January 2006. Five men enter a branch in the Acassuso district of Buenos Aires. The police surround the building and a long hostage negotiation begins. But the real plan inside is different: through a tunnel dug weeks earlier, the team leaves via the sewers with what they have taken from the boxes. They got away with roughly twenty-five million dollars and eighty kilos of jewellery. Nobody was hurt; the weapons used were toys. The note the team left behind is one reason the case stayed in Argentina's memory. What is interesting is the production history: the screenplay was written with the contribution of Fernando Araujo, the man who planned the robbery. So the person who devised the case took part directly in the text of the film. Guillermo Francella and Diego Peretti lead, and the fit between them carries the film. Ariel Winograd directed. The narrative is built on planning rather than violence; digging the tunnel, rehearsing and timing are shown in detail. An enjoyable example for anyone who likes heist films and narratives drawn from record. For a viewer expecting a moral assessment, the film stands on the robbers' side and hides it not at all.