Review: The Great Heist, on Netflix

The Colombian production for Netflix "The Great Heist",  was released earlier this month and has so far been an international success. According to some portals that keep track of which are the most viewed productions on different streaming platforms, this would be number five so far this month on Netflix. Here we tell you everything you need to know before watching The Theft of the Century, which is available on the streaming giant's platform.

What is The Great Heist about?

It is a series based on the history of the heist of 24 billion pesos of the Banco de la República de Valledupar in 1994. As in good robbery movies, in this series we will see the great heist but also its planning, so it uses some classic tropes of these films: the meeting of a team, the negotiation over the distribution of money, a leader with whom the viewer sympathizes, some accomplices within the bank. This sophisticated operation, according to the series, consisted of removing six tons of banknotes from the Banco de la República de Valledupar without firing a single shot. Elegant and peaceful, this is the story of a carefully planned heist.

The series stars Andrés Parra, known for his portrayal of Pablo Escobar in the series El patrón del mal, Mexican Christian Tappan, who has already worked in Colombian and Netflix productions such as Distrito Salvaje, and Marcela Benjumea, who needs no introduction for her long career in Colombian television. Thus, this series is made up of a cast of recognized actors in Colombia with some experience in this type of production.

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What will we see?

The plot of this series is clearly close to that of the Spanish hit Money Heist and many have associated this production with the success of the latter. While it is true that Netflix likes to find a formula that pleases viewers and repeat it in different ways in different countries, The Great Heist differs in some things from Money Heist. Undoubtedly, its production is part of the success of the Spanish series and without a doubt Netflix seeks a similar intrigue that does not let the viewer detach from the screen. However, this is a Colombian production and this does make a difference. The tone, on the one hand, is less solemn and much more comical. Well-known is the interpretation of Andrés Parra as Pablo Escobar, in which he manages to be threatening but nice and funny. We will see the same thing here with the character he plays, so humor will be one of the attractions of this series.

On the other hand, perhaps what kept viewers glued to Money Heist was the intrigue of seeing a master plan collapse, which is why the heist itself and its planning occupy the majority of the series. Here, on the other hand, we will see what happens to this team that has made the robbery of the century, and the consequences they will face.