Money Heist - Series Review

Money Heist is a 5-part (season) series (2021) available on NetFlix. Part 1 has 13 episodes, part 2 has nine episodes, and parts 3 and 4 have eight episodes each, which range between 42 and 76 minutes per episode.

Synopsis on NetFlix

The Professor recruits a young female robber and seven other criminals for the grand heist, targetting the Royal Mint of Spain.

Pic from Netflix

OVERALL SUMMARY - SPOILER

This is one of the best series I have watched on Netflix. It was criminal and exciting, with blood in some parts and a lot of shooting, action and use of some heavy weaponry. But the best part about the series is that you are taken on a journey with every character. Each one's story unfolded differently and at various points during the show. Each character portrayed strength, bravery and loyalty (which slipped a few times amidst situations that arose.) They all made you feel every emotion they felt. The fear, the happiness as they sang and danced to the 'Bella Ciao' track, the frustration, the carefully executed plans, and the backup plans. They were a family.

Tokyo, Berlin, Moscow and his son Denver, Rio, the twins - Helsinki and Oslo, and Nairobi were the city names they picked for themselves in the first heist. They followed the no-name, no-personal questions or relationship policy, which eventually did not last as all rules were broken throughout the series. They planned their heist for years/months, all headed by 'The Professor'. The Professor's character is legendary. Intelligent, nerdish, and nervous around women, yet confident and one who could convince the gang to participate in the greatest heist in history.

The first heist was the Royal Mint of Spain (2 Parts/Seasons), and the remaining seasons (Parts) is a heist of the Bank of Spain. Both heists will see the group lose some very prominent members.

TICKLED MY FANCY (HIGHLIGHTS)

• The Professor's character (Sergio) comes off as nerdish, shy, calm, uncomfortable among people, especially women, intelligent, has an answer for every problem, loves his gang, but can throw a punch if he has to. The character was well-planned and beautifully executed by the Spanish actor Alvaro Morte.

• Other characters - I cannot talk enough about the rest of the cast. I am the most critical person regarding characters/actors and rarely have much good to say. However, in this case, I will make an exception and say 'Kudos' and Hats off to every cast member. They were all fantastic. You will laugh with them, cry, get angry, be frustrated and feel every emotion they feel.

• The Music - Every track was apt and captivating. I am certain you will go back to look for the tracks you heard if you have not heard them already.

• Even though I am not a fan of lengthy seasons and episodes, I cannot say anything bad about this one. Plots and sub-plots, plans and contingency plans were well-timed and spread out. I did not feel frustrated and waited for the series to end. I was invested and wanted to know what happened next

• In my opinion, most non-English movies with subtitles come off as fake. However, this was one of the few movies in which I did not feel a disconnect with the spoken words. Probably, it was the way some of these shots were done.

A WORD OF CAUTION (LOWLIGHTS)

• This is not a lowlight, but I was sad to see the end of some excellent characters on the show. No fault to anyone; I guess that was the storyline, which made it interesting.

• I would caution everyone because the use of guns, ammunition and heavy artillery was beyond what I could have expected.

• Blood - There is a lot of blood during the attacks and treatments.

My overall rating is a 9.9 out of 10.