‘Billion Dollar Heist’ Review: How to Rob a Bank, Digitally

In 2016, a workforce of cyberthieves stole $81 million from a central financial institution in Bangladesh. The theft was meticulously executed: The hackers gained entry to the financial institution’s monetary switch system via contaminated e mail attachments that allowed them to plant customized malware, which they used to worm via the workplace’s pc community till they reached the only server liable for dispatching encrypted orders.

If this sounds convoluted in writing, simply think about attempting to spin its esoteric particulars right into a true-crime yarn match for neophytes. “Billion Dollar Heist,” directed by Daniel Gordon, makes an attempt the duty by leaning on a secure of cybersecurity consultants to stroll viewers via the operation. To additional clarify, Gordon whips out a toolbox of visualization strategies. When, for instance, the topics describe how the hackers navigated Bangladesh’s inner community, Gordon depicts the mission as a Super Mario-like online game.

With a lot motion transpiring within the digital realm, the documentary is cautious to exploit its handful of terrestrial story beats: a important typo in a switch request, a multiday playing spree at a Philippine on line casino, the wily scheduling of the assault on a nationwide vacation to make sure that financial institution workers can be offline. These particulars floor the narrative, however their prominence contributes to the movie feeling like predigested news — notably when the extra arcane features of the story stay undefined.

“Billion Dollar Heist” just isn’t completely bankrupt, however in mining its central cybercrime for tidbits whereas smoothing over its complexities, the movie erodes its energy each as seminar and spectacle.

Billion Dollar Heist
Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 24 minutes. Rent or purchase on most main platforms.