This Is a Robbery

Last updated

This Is a Robbery
This Is a Robbery.jpeg
Genre
Directed byColin Barnicle
Music by Jason Hill
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes4
Production
Executive producers
  • Colin Barnicle
  • Nick Barnicle
  • Jane Rosenthal
  • Berry Welsh
  • Linda Pizzuti Henry
Producers
  • Jeff Siegel
  • Rachel Koteen
  • Bobby O'Brien
  • Mary Abramson
CinematographyStephen McCarthy
Editors
  • Kelly Kendrick
  • Chris Kronus
  • Matt Cascella
  • Andrew Jenter
Running time50–57 minutes
Production companyBarnicle Brothers Production TriBeCa Productions
Original release
ReleaseApril 7, 2021 (2021-04-07)

This Is a Robbery: The World's Biggest Art Heist is a 2021 American documentary miniseries about the 1990 robbery of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. [1] [2] [3] The four-part series was directed by Colin Barnicle, who also produced alongside his brother Nick Barnicle. The series was produced over a seven-year period, beginning in 2014. [4] It was released on Netflix on April 7, 2021, receiving generally positive reviews from critics. [5]

Contents

Episodes

No.TitleOriginal release date
1"They Looked Like Cops"April 7, 2021 (2021-04-07)
In Boston 1990, two men dressed as police officers enter the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and leave with Rembrandt's The Storm on the Sea of Galilee and A Lady and Gentleman in Black , Vermeer's The Concert , and ten other works of art.
2"Vipers in the Grass"April 7, 2021 (2021-04-07)
As law enforcement scrutinizes the museum's security, a suspect emerges.
3"We've Seen It"April 7, 2021 (2021-04-07)
As alleged sightings of the stolen art are reported, organized crime activity leads to possible suspects and motives for the robbery.
4"$10 Million Reward"April 7, 2021 (2021-04-07)
An informant and sting operation lead federal agents to a small-time mobster with possible connections to the robbery.

Reception

For the series, review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 81% based on 16 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "This is a Robbery may not be the world's most innovative docuseries, but a fascinating subject and an acute attention to detail make for a riveting watch." [6] Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 70 out of 100 based on 13 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum</span> Art museum in Boston, Massachusetts

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts, which houses significant examples of European, Asian, and American art. Its collection includes paintings, sculpture, tapestries, and decorative arts. It was founded by Isabella Stewart Gardner, whose will called for her art collection to be permanently exhibited "for the education and enjoyment of the public forever."

<i>Heist</i> (2001 film) 2001 film by David Mamet

Heist is a 2001 American heist film written and directed by David Mamet and starring Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito and Delroy Lindo, with Rebecca Pidgeon, Ricky Jay and Sam Rockwell in supporting roles.

<i>The Concert</i> (Vermeer) Stolen and missing painting by Johannes Vermeer c. 1664

The Concert is a painting by the Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer depicting a man and two women performing music. It was stolen on March 18, 1990, from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston and remains missing. Experts believe it may be the most valuable stolen object in the world; as of 2015, it was valued at US$250 million.

<i>The Keepers</i> 2017 American documentary series

The Keepers is a seven-episode American documentary series that explores the unsolved murder of nun Catherine Cesnik in 1969. Cesnik taught English and drama at Baltimore's all-girls Archbishop Keough High School, and her former students believe that there was a cover-up by authorities after she suspected that a priest at the high school, A. Joseph Maskell, was guilty of sexually abusing students. The series was directed by Ryan White and released on Netflix in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum theft</span> 1990 art theft in Boston

In the early morning hours of March 18, 1990, 13 works of art were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Guards admitted two men posing as police officers responding to a disturbance call, and the thieves bound the guards and looted the museum over the next hour. The case is unsolved; no arrests have been made, and no works have been recovered. The stolen works have been valued at hundreds of millions of dollars by the FBI and art dealers. The museum offers a $10 million reward for information leading to the art's recovery, the largest bounty ever offered by a private institution.

<i>Wild Wild Country</i> 2018 documentary series

Wild Wild Country is a Netflix documentary series about the controversial Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (Osho), his one-time personal assistant Ma Anand Sheela, and their community of followers in the Rajneeshpuram community located in Wasco County, Oregon, US. It was released on Netflix on March 16, 2018, after premiering at the Sundance Film Festival. The title of the series is drawn from the Bill Callahan song "Drover", which features prominently in the final episode, and it also echoes the comments of Jane Stork about first seeing the ranch, shown at the beginning of episode 2: "it was just so wild, so rugged, but vast—really wild country".

<i>Evil Genius</i> (TV series) 2018 true crime docuseries

Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist is a 2018 true crime documentary series about the death of Brian Wells, a high-profile 2003 incident often referred to as the "collar bomb" or "pizza bomber" case. It was released on Netflix as a four-part series on May 11, 2018.

<i>McMillions</i> True crime documentary television series

McMillions is a documentary miniseries about the McDonald's Monopoly promotion scam that occurred between 1989 and 2001. Directed by James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte, the series details how the scam was perpetrated by Jerry Jacobson, the head of security for the agency that ran the promotion, and how he recruited a wide range of accomplices. The series premiered in the US on February 3, 2020, on HBO, and all episodes were made available in the UK on May 27, 2020, on Sky Documentaries. McMillions was nominated for five Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series.

<i>The Burnt Orange Heresy</i> 2019 crime thriller film

The Burnt Orange Heresy is a 2019 crime thriller film directed by Giuseppe Capotondi and with a screenplay by Scott Smith. The film is based on the book of the same name by Charles Willeford and stars Claes Bang, Elizabeth Debicki, Mick Jagger, and Donald Sutherland.

<i>Behind Her Eyes</i> (TV series) British psychological thriller web series

Behind Her Eyes is a British noir supernatural psychological thriller television series created by Steve Lightfoot, based on the 2017 novel of the same name by Sarah Pinborough, that premiered on Netflix on 17 February 2021. The limited series stars Simona Brown, Tom Bateman, Eve Hewson and Robert Aramayo.

<i>From Scratch</i> (TV series) 2022 American drama limited series

From Scratch is an American romance drama television miniseries created by Attica Locke and Tembi Locke for Netflix. Inspired by Tembi Locke's memoir of the same name, it stars Zoe Saldaña and Eugenio Mastrandrea. Its eight episodes premiered on October 21, 2022. Attica Locke was series showrunner.

<i>Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez</i> 2020 American true crime documentary

Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez is a 2020 American true crime documentary series about convicted murderer and former professional American football player Aaron Hernandez. The three-part documentary explores his conviction for the murder of Odin Lloyd, other murder cases in which he was a suspect, and the factors in his life that shaped his behavior. It premiered on Netflix on January 15, 2020.

<i>White Lines</i> (TV series) Television series

White Lines is a British-Spanish mystery thriller television series created by Álex Pina. The 10-episode first series was released on Netflix on 15 May 2020. In August 2020, the series was cancelled after one season.

<i>Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich</i> American television miniseries

Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich is an American web documentary television miniseries about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The miniseries is based on the 2016 book of the same name by James Patterson, and co-written by John Connolly and Tim Malloy. Filthy Rich was released on May 27, 2020, on Netflix. The four-part documentary features interviews with several survivors including Virginia Giuffre and Maria Farmer, along with former staff members and former police chief Michael Reiter, a key individual from the first criminal case against Epstein.

<i>Fear City: New York vs The Mafia</i> 2020 documentary television miniseries

Fear City: New York vs The Mafia is an American true crime docuseries about New York City's Five Families: the Gambino, Colombo, Bonanno, Lucchese, and Genovese crime organizations.

Pretend It's a City is a 2021 American documentary series directed by Martin Scorsese featuring interviews and conversations between Scorsese and Fran Lebowitz. The series was released on January 8, 2021, on Netflix.

<i>Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel</i> 2021 documentary television series

Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel is the first season of the Crime Scene docuseries. Released in 2021 and directed by Joe Berlinger, it chronicles the death of Elisa Lam at the Cecil Hotel. It features Viveca Chow, Judy Ho and Artemis Snow and premiered on February 10, 2021 on Netflix.

<i>Murder Among the Mormons</i> 2021 true crime TV series

Murder Among the Mormons is an American true crime documentary television miniseries following Mark Hofmann, one of the most notable forgers in history, who created forgeries related to the Latter Day Saint movement. Joe Berlinger serves as an executive producer. It consists of three episodes and premiered on Netflix on March 3, 2021.

<i>Naomi Osaka</i> (TV series) American documentary

Naomi Osaka is an American documentary television miniseries directed by Garrett Bradley. It follows the life of professional tennis player Naomi Osaka over the course of two years. It consists of three episodes, and premiered on July 16, 2021, on Netflix.

<i>Kaleidoscope</i> (American TV series) 2023 heist drama miniseries by Eric Garcia

Kaleidoscope is an American heist drama television anthology series created by Eric Garcia. The eight-part series, unique for its shuffled order, centers on master thief Leo Pap and his crew attempting an epic heist worth $7 billion, but betrayal, greed and other threats undermine their plans.

References

  1. "This Is a Robbery: a Netflix series examines the world's biggest art heist". the Guardian. April 7, 2021. Archived from the original on April 8, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  2. Wilkinson, Alissa (April 7, 2021). "The new Netflix docuseries about history's biggest art heist is weirdly dull". Vox. Archived from the original on April 7, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  3. "'This Is a Robbery' on Netflix revisits the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum art theft - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  4. "'This Is a Robbery': Netflix revisits Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist | Boston.com". www.boston.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  5. Vanamee, Norman (April 7, 2021). "What Really Happened with the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Art Heist". Town & Country. Archived from the original on April 7, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  6. "This Is a Robbery: The World's Greatest Art Heist: Season 1 (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  7. "This Is a Robbery: The World's Greatest Art Heist Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved April 6, 2021.