Stolen: Heist of the Century

As "Stolen: The Heist of the Century" (2025 release; 95 min.) opens, it is "Monday, 17th February 2003", and we learn that over the weekend, the District Center in Antwerp, Belgium has been breached, with millions worth of diamonds gone. Antwerp is the diamond capital of the world (85% of the world's diamonds pass through it.) Who could have possibly done this? And, even more intriguingly, HOW? At this point we are less than 10 minutes into the documentary.

Couple of comments: this is directed by Mark Lewis ("Vatican Girl"). Here he reassesses after more than 2 decades how this heist was executed. The sheer audacity and brazenness of this heist immediately made me think of some of the Mission Impossible movies. Except of course this is not fiction, and it really did happen. I'm not going to spoil anything. Just sit back, relax and enjoy this real life Mission Impossible. I hasten to add that I myself hail from Antwerp, Belgium (but now a longtime resident of the US), and I immediately recognized most of the footage showing Antwerp (affectionally nicknamed by the locals as "t Stad", which means "the City" in English). I was in Antwerp just last week in fact.

""Stolen: The Heist of the Century" started streaming recently on Netflix, which "suggested" it to me based on my viewing habits. Thanks Netflix! If you are in the mood for a captivating true crime documentary that is as stunning as it is brazen, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion.

This series presents a detailed look at a diamond heist. It features interviews with police and robbers, as well as tons of photographs and videos from the case. Overall, it does a great job breaking down the crime, the investigation, and the aftermath.

I didn't know anything about this occurrence before watching but I felt it provided a good picture based on all available evidence.

The only thing I didn't like was the attitude of some of the police who openly admitted they didn't understand how the robbers did certain things which is fine, and obvious. But then based on nothing, they then called the thieves liars when they explained how they did what they did. Basically, policeman came across as unknowledgeable, incompetent, But also extremely confident whatever did happen, the thieves aren't telling the truth...Seem like the lawman was still salty after all these years and just wanted to talk bad about the robbers.

The story of the 2003 diamond theft in Antwerp.

The film consists of interviews with the main convict and the police officers investigating the case. Each tells their own version of the story, and each has a different one. Although it is a documentary, it is very reminiscent of outstanding feature films such as Kurosawa's "Rashomon" from 1950 or Singer's "The Usual Suspects" from 1995.

A very well-made film (though at times overdramatized) about the fact that we will likely never know exactly what happened during the Antwerp robbery.

This show feels like it's just telling you a story , no drama, no gimmicks, no "wait till the next twist" nonsense. It's rare to see something on Netflix in 2025 that's this subtle and still holds your attention without even trying.

The plot isn't stretched thin, and nothing feels forced. It moves at a pace that's natural, slow enough to feel real but never boring. You just... keep watching. Not because you're desperate to know "what happens next," but because it's simply good storytelling.

If you need non-stop suspense or a jaw-drop every 10 minutes, this isn't for you. But if you like stories that feel real, characters you believe in, and an overall vibe that's calm but still magnetic, this is such a refreshing watch. Sometimes the best shows don't scream for your attention - they just stay with you.

I don't think I have ever written a review of a documentary. Having seen many good documentaries, I was interested in watching this one. What a disappointment! It is just a continuous natterring of a cop's voice with some background assumed happening of the heist. Watching this was a total bore and no facts were laid bare other than assumptions. Eventually it comes to a conclusion after 1 and a half hours, but by then I was totally fed-up and sorry I watched it to conclusion.