SMASH & GRAB
THE PLOT THUS FAR
Their crimes resemble high-octane Hollywood action movies: a sports car speeds through a Dubai shopping mall, crashing into the windows of a Graff jewelry store. Masked, gun-wielding men jump out of the car, and stuff fistfuls of diamonds into their satchels before screeching off. In London, they took all of three minutes to make off with $30 million in diamonds. They are captured – not in person, but on surveillance tapes that record their astonishing lightning strikes with hypnotic accuracy. Playing out like a noir thriller spiced with cutting-edge animation and shocking real surveillance footage, Havana Marking’s Smash & Grab is an exclusive all-access pass into the mysterious world of international jewel thieves. Dubbed ‘The Pink Panthers,’ the formidable Balkan gang has stolen nearly a billion dollars worth of jewels from boutiques in the world’s most opulent cities, including Geneva, Paris, London, Geneva, Dubai and Tokyo. Through never-before-seen interviews with key gang members, this provocative documentary delves into the gang’s incredible history and introduces the viewer to the global police forces who work furiously to stop them. Beyond the glitz of the Panthers’ incredible heists, Smash & Grab exposes dark truths about the illicit diamond trade and the world’s most ruthless mafia networks.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“Smash and Grab” wants to be the coolest documentary that ever existed. It tries so hard and stages everything just right. However, the execution simply isn’t there. There’s a lot of material presented in a short amount of time and it doesn’t have a little wiggle room. That being said, you can’t help but love watching The Pink Panthers work their magic during heists. Nevermind the complications that come from such criminal acts. But, I think we can all let that take a backseat for a moment.
The DVD comes with featurettes, police film, animated storyboards and featurettes. The A/V Quality is sharp for standard definition. However, there is a minor amount of noise on the transfer. The Dolby 5.1 track is pretty clean and provides a strong back channel setup. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to the curious.
RELEASE DATE: 12/03/2013
