Money Heist, also known as La Casa de Papel, is A Spanish heist crime drama television series created by Álex Pina and directed by Jesús Colmenar. The series traces two long-prepared heists led by the Professor (Álvaro Morte), one on the Royal Mint of Spain, and one on the Bank of Spain told from the perspective of one of the robbers, Tokyo(Úrsula Coberó). For complexity, the story is told in real-time, with flashbacks, time jumps, hidden character motivations, and an unreliable narrator.
A criminal mastermind known as "The Professor" has devised a scheme to commit the largest heist in recorded history: to print billions of euros in the Royal Mint of Spain. To assist him in carrying out the ambitious plan, he recruits eight people with specific skills and nothing to lose. The group takes hostages to aid in their negotiations with the authorities, whose plotting a way to apprehend The Professor. As time passes, the robbers prepare for a shootout with the cops.
They are not allowed to share personal information or engage in personal relationships. The Professor directs the heist from a remote location and warns that there will be casualties if they go through with their plan. The robbers, dressed in red jumpsuits and masks of artist Salvador Dal, take 67 hostages as part of their plan to print and flee with €2.4 billion through a self-built escape tunnel.
The robbers inside the Mint struggle to stay true to their roles as they face uncooperative hostages, violence, isolation, and mutiny. The Professor's identity is repeatedly threatened, and Raquel eventually realizes Salva is the Professor, but she is emotionally unable to hand him over to the police. Raquel discovers a series of postcards left by the Professor, who wrote the coordinates for a location in Palawan, Philippines, where she reunites with him a year after the heist.
Flashbacks to the Professor and Berlin outline the planned new heist as well as their opposing perspectives on love. The robbers thwart a police raid on the bank, forcing the cops, led by Colonel Luis Tamayo and pregnant inspector Alicia Sierra, to hand over Rio to the robbers. Nairobi has been shot in the chest by a police sniper. With another police assault on the bank on the way, and believing that Lisbon has been murdered by the police. The Professor radios Palermo and declares DEFCON 2. The robbers respond by firing a rocket at the armored police vehicle approaching the bank, transforming the robbers from folk heroes to murderers in the eyes of the public.
As the group manages to save Nairobi's life, the restrained Palermo attempts to reassert command by conspiring with Gandia, the Bank of Spain's restrained chief of security. Gandia flees, contacts the police from a panic room inside the bank, and engages in a violent cat-and-mouse game with the group. Palermo changes his mind, regains the trust of the group, and rejoins them. Gandia shoots Nairobi in the head, killing her instantly, but he is later apprehended by the group. As the police prepare for another assault on the bank, the Professor exposes himself.
Sierra flees, and the Professor and Marseille pursue her. The police, on the other hand, discover the stormwater tank and arrest the Professor, Sierra, Benjamin, and Marseille. They manage to flee, but the gold is missing. It is revealed that Rafael and Tatiana stole the gold because she had previously broken up with Berlin in order to be with Rafael. Tatiana and Rafael bury the gold in the present. Palermo and the Professor discover that it is their fault, but the army has already apprehended the gang. While he drives to the bank, the Professor gives Sierra a note for Rafael and convinces her to find the gold because it is their only hope. Tamayo taunts him and interrogates each gang member separately as he enters the bank. The gang informs the public that the gold has already been removed from the bank, causing public panic and an economic meltdown that threatens Spain's bankruptcy. Sierra is successful in locating the stolen gold. The gold has arrived in trucks outside the bank, but the Professor claims it is gold-coated brass. On Tamayo's orders, the gang members are killed, shocking Denver in the tent. They are taken out of the bank in body bags, and it is revealed that they are still alive after the Professor persuaded Tamayo to call it quits on the chase; the return of the "gold" has stabilized the country's economy. The gang reunites at an airbase 24 hours after the heist. Everyone gets new passports after Rafael and Tatiana return the gold to the gang with the promise of a share. After successfully robbing the Bank of Spain, the gang departs from the airbase.
The series has a lot to offer such, as a great cast, writers, and plot twists. The concept of the Money Heist is new to viewers, which is also one of the reasons why the series became famous to the world. As the Professor said, It shows resistance, indignation, and skepticism against the system. The show values camaraderie and defiance. Though, the movie is too explicit since there are clips that involve nudity, cigarette, and drugs. People also call the series overrated. There are also many loopholes in the series.
References:
Pina, A. (Creator), Colmenar, J. (Director). (2021). Money Heist [Film]. Netflix, Inc.
Comments