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]
| This Is a Robbery | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Directed by | Colin Barnicle |
| Music by | Jason Hill |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 4 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Cinematography | Stephen McCarthy |
| Editors |
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| Running time | 50–57 minutes |
| Production company | Barnicle Brothers Production TriBeCa Productions |
| Original release | |
| Release | April 7, 2021 |
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "They Looked Like Cops" | April 7, 2021 | |
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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 | |
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As law enforcement scrutinizes the museum's security, a suspect emerges. | |||
| 3 | "We've Seen It" | April 7, 2021 | |
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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 | |
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An informant and sting operation lead federal agents to a small-time mobster with possible connections to the robbery. | |||
Reception
editFor 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]
References
edit- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "'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.
- ^ "'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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "This Is a Robbery: The World's Greatest Art Heist: Season 1 (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
- ^ "This Is a Robbery: The World's Greatest Art Heist Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
