The Thieves: The True Story of the Robbery of the Century debuts on Netflix

“There are two ways to transcend death: with children or with art. Y this was art theft”, Defines Fernando Araujo, the intellectual author of the most sensational assault in Argentina. Today the protagonist, together with the rest of the criminal gang, of the new documentary film from Netflix, The thieves: the true story of the heist of the centurywith a world premiere on 10 August.

“In 2003 I was the happiest man on earth. If you take a survey, of all the beings in the world, I was the happiest, ”says Fernando Araujo. A year before the obsession with robbing the former Banco Río de Acassuso took him as hostage to his own master plan.

Araujo (aka “the artist”) speaks from a recreated imaginary atelier in which he evokes his past. And where, among other “divan” confessions, which intersect with those of former delinquents Luis Mario Vitette, Sebastián García Bolster and Rubén “Beto” de la Torreassures that “if it hadn’t been a bank it could have been a casino”.

Without firing a single shot

The epic robbery without victims and with the participation of the members of the Halcón group took place on January 13, 2006. And the story turned into a myth, which inspired The robbery of moneysome books e The theft of the centurythe blockbuster film with Guillermo Francella and Diego Peretti is added to the menu Made in Argentina Netflix, 16 years later, under the eyes of the director Matthias Gueilburt.

The first slogan was to let go, says Gueilburt, on the piece which, in addition to reviewing the heist planning with a magnifying glass and actual testimonies, explores “The different ways of seeing the world” of four characters as dissimilar as they are functional to the story.

“The focus is on the construction of the characters, who were the people behind the myth“, Says Matías Gueilburt about the band that despite having been the protagonist of the shooting – in addition to the hostages and police officers – by unanimous decision they never met on set.

“We thought with Julián Rousso and Sebastián Gamba (producers) that it would be nice to tell this story, but time has passed. And when the film was shot, we told them we wanted to make the documentary and if we could have access, because they had had contact with the thieves. There we established a first contact with them. That was long, slow, difficult. Because you have to discover them ”.

-Anthill…

-The ant works like any of these projects, but more importantly, because since there were the books and the film, then think about what to say about all of this. And it seemed interesting to me how they managed to build a myth about this and who they were. Because there are many robberies and this wasn’t just a robbery.

Empathy and social condemnation

-He was one of the few who generated empathy with people, along with a social condemnation.

– Totally. And from the very first moment the moral limit of the stories is constantly contemplated. This is why in addition to being able to tell one’s point of view, with great freedom, it was being able to include the victims in the story. The hostages who have lived through a horrible time and who could not help but be part of it. At that time there is no romance for me.

-Do you think this documentary can revive that social crack that continues to arouse passions?

-Yes, I think today everything is broken. Everything. I don’t have social networks, fortunately. Because I’m so crazy that when I leave projects I want to dedicate time to my family, my children, my wife and if I were online I couldn’t. But I realize that everything generates discussion.

And it would be illogical for it not to happen here, because there were victims, people who took the money. Beyond that Araujo can say that they returned the money. It is the vision of him.

-The years go by and it continues to generate the same debate.

-And that’s where we put the center. Who are these guys who dare to do it. They have a personal universe with a lot of thinking power from different places. From his point of view and with interesting reflections. When “Beto” de la Torre says: “I already had the money. And now that? “They are things that one has left.

-In that variety there is wealth …

-It was very interesting. Give everyone the world that builds it. That’s why the actor, the artist, the criminal, the engineer. And the more I got to know them, the more I saw their capabilities for each of these things. They weren’t random guys. Strengthening when developing that item (cannon power) is awesome! For the film, we rebuilt it. He spent two months replicating what he had done.

Some myths dispelled

-There are testimonies that end up destroying some myths installed on the case. Like the alleged spiteful woman of “Beto” de la Torre who denounces the gang. And others, who will continue to be, like the fate of all the money from the robbery …

-The documentary has a certain dishonesty. In this project I let myself be carried away by what they told me. They could deceive me in many casesand this too is part of the story, of the game I was about to lend myself to.

But, for example, about the rejected woman, who for me was part of the story, suddenly the prosecutor appeared with his version, and it was the prosecutor! Saying: it wasn’t like that, what happened was this. Well, he is a prosecutor of the nation and this surprised me. It was interesting to be able to get out of that place of history.

And keep your head open …

-It is essential. Once Paco Ignacio Taibo, a Mexican writer, told me a wonderful thing. We had finished shooting Pancho Villa and I was talking to him about a very important Mexican character, Victoriano Huerta. He said to me: No, Mati. Messing up the scoundrels … eventually you fall in love with a character who is a son of a bitch. Better not.

And in the end it happens to you. Because you generate empathy and a bond. it changes you And it enriches you. It is one of the wonders of my profession.

The band doesn’t go around

-You said it was difficult for them and it was a long process to establish contact with them. How complicated was it to put the band together?

The band never got together.

– By decision?

-By my decision and also by Sebastian, the producer. Because They don’t have a good relationship with each other., obviously. They committed a crime and soon fell. There are faults that are thrown between them, a logical thing, besides the egos.

Everyone thinks they are the ones who make the myth of this robbery. And treating them separately allowed me to retrace history with each. If I had put them together, one would have trampled the other and I would have lost this ensemble story.

– It would have been contaminated …

– Of course, or let’s say this or that. But in this way, everyone felt free to tell their own story and gave themselves the air of importance that he wanted to give in the process. This wasn’t just the story of Araujo or Vitette. And the four guys with different looks on a factsuch as the exhaust.

When Araujo enters for the first time, all of which is tinged with his world of marijuana and his ways of inspiration, he enters and transforms into something surreal and colorful. Some time later Vitette arrives and says it was a shit place.

– I understand that the whole gang has been summoned. And that one of those who didn’t participate was legally advised not to.

I’m not that involved in these things. Yes I’ve heard. Actually, the four important ones, except Doc who was very important in the story and who I think is the one who did not want to participate for advice and is one of those who did not fall, the others had been important, but in particular moments.

One drove the truck, but they weren’t part of the whole operational genesis. being a four-man ensemble film I wanted to deepen them and the story was already working.

-Vitette was one of those who thought the story of the film didn’t work out so much because there were some open points. Do you agree that history lacked solvency?

-I think the film is fictional, with a touch of comedy, and it’s very well done. After what everyone says, it has to do with forms, egos, the “I do not feel interpreted”. Now they are doing it. It’s hard to please everyone. The documentary allows you to enter another world and this is also beneficial for us. Being able to enter another dimension of history.

-And told by the scene …

-Of course. We were in the sewer they go into, we were able to film the exterior of the bank which was great. See Araujo go back to that bank door.

-Was there no resistance to return to the crime scene?

-No, the pandemic allowed us, as the world was collapsing, to rethink every idea many times. And the possibility of sharing it with them and letting them recite it. When Vitette makes the transformation to the man in the gray suit, he could have told me: just interview me. And on the contrary, they went into the journey and did very well indeed What’s more.

-Does it also fuel morbidity a little?

-I don’t know if the morbidity is fueled, I think the morbidity is there. In circle. And whoever grabs it or wants to squeeze it will get the most out of it. But I don’t think the film particularly leads to that.

Discuss and generate controversy

With a 360-degree view, Gueilburt, who in addition to being the team leader is an executive producer, understands platforms as necessary space and dispersion in difficult times.

“The reality of the world is so hostile that people love to immerse themselves in stories and are very interested in immersing themselves in real stories,” he says. “I hope that people see it, appreciate it, discuss it, discuss it and generate the controversy that each of these cases can generate”.

-Have you considered the idea of ​​a spin off of a band member?

-All! It could take them out of the fact of the heist of the century and into a world of fiction.. After taking a tour of everyone’s life, every time I see “Beto”, “Husband” I see other parts of his story. And it’s good that they arrived in this place, it seems healthy to me. After all they have had to live, either by choice or because life has brought them to that place.

I think they have been able to reflect and I think it’s healthy for a society that can be rehabilitated. They paid the penalty. Not that they got away with it. And that today they write books or films, that they find something that worries them that is not a crime, seems positive to me. They have the capacity.

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