Smash & Grab: The Story of the Pink Panthers

Filmmaker Havana Marking's documentary focuses on the notorious Pink Panthers: a network of master thieves who have stolen $300 million worth of jewels in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East since 2000 with stunning efficiency. Although not condoning these crimes, Smash & Grab presents the Panthers' story as if it were a Hollywood thriller, mixing interviews, animation, and reportage, as it tells the strange tale of the Panthers' emergence from the horrors of Yugoslavia's disintegration in the 1990s, a time when a black market for stolen jewels evolved among Serbian refugees. Security camera footage from numerous jewelry stores across Europe captures the Panthers at work, briskly and boldly driving speeding cars through shop entrances, snatching what they came for, and disappearing again—all in the space of 20 seconds. Fascinating details are offered, such as the Panthers' use of beautiful, wealthy-looking women to perform reconnaissance in jewelry stores months before a hit. Perhaps most interesting of all are interviews with several police detectives from various countries, each of whom has been on the Panthers' trail for years without success. Even the cops, it turns out, have a grudging admiration for these successful bandits. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD extras include a Q&A with director Havana Marking (10 min.), an animated storyboard of a phone call with a “Pink Panther” member (10 min.), an animation FX featurette (7 min.), an animated Dubai police re-enactment (4 min.), CCTV robbery footage (2 min.), a brief deleted sequence, and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for an excellent documentary.] (T. Keogh)