Even with the constant new cycle happening, documentaries seem to be on the rise. Highlighting both true crimes, real-life events, and important figures throughout history. There seems to be a fascination with the facts, what happened, and why. But sometimes, documentaries play on the fears of viewers just with the hopes of increasing their views. The hyper-awareness of what could possibly happen will have audience members looking at adding a VPN and wondering is surfshark a good VPN to protect them from bad actors on the internet.
One documentary that seems to be falling into that trap is Billion Dollar Heist, a documentary that is now streaming and released by Obscured Pictures. The documentary details the cyber robbery of the Bangladeshi Central Bank and the aftermath. But in the midst of a somewhat interesting story, is the hyper-focus on sensationalizing it more than focusing on the storytelling.

Billion Dollar Heist is a very formulaic-styled documentary – and really, I’m not sure if there is any other way to tell this story. But where the film seems to stumble a little is in how the information is presented. Not only is there very few professionals, but it seems like it is very limited in the diversity shown throughout the film. Sure, the cybersecurity industry may be limited in some aspects, but it’s hard to believe that only one type of person works in the field. Especially when the crime happened in Bangladesh, and the only experts on the crime and topic seem to be white men. The few instances of other experts being brought to the screen seem to be for one or two sentences and quickly brushed off. The movie seems imbalanced and that not only seems to hurt the film, but the credibility as well.
But more so, the movie has another fatal flaw – it seems to present the information in a way that is nihilistic and used as scare tactics. Yes, cyber crimes happen, and with the rise of technology, there is no doubt that this will continue. However, the experts used throughout the documentary seem to pose this as the end-of-times scenario. While there is potential to do major damage, there are other concerns viewers will find more pressing. Sure, this was done for effect and to grab attention – but it’s really lackluster and feels sloppy.
Billion Dollar Heist is now streaming.
Overall Rating:
About Billion Dollar Heist:
Global, dynamic, and eye-opening, BILLION DOLLAR HEIST tells the story of the most daring cyber heist of all time, the Bangladeshi Central Bank theft. This feature documentary traces the origins of cyber-crime from basic credit card fraud to the wildly complex criminal organizations in existence today, supported by commentary and fascinating insight from highly regarded cyber security experts such as Eric Chien, Mikko Hypponen, Keith Mularski and renowned journalist, broadcaster and best-selling author of McMafia (which was adapted into a BBC / AMC series), Misha Glenny. A tale of epic proportions, BILLION DOLLAR HEIST shows how the key players on both sides of the law are embroiled in a global game of cat-and-mouse – with our money and security on the line.