Superthief: Inside America's Biggest Bank Score

In the realm of bank robberies, the $30 million heist at the United California Bank in Orange County, CA, in March 1972, was (pardon the expression) the gold standard—a flawlessly executed action that yielded absolutely no clues to the police investigating the crime scene. This heist would have remained the greatest unsolved burglary in U.S. history if the perpetrators had not made the lethal mistake of repeating their actions a few months later at an Ohio bank—after which law enforcement officials added two and two together and ended up apprehending the gangsters. One of the thieves was Phil Christopher, a minor Ohio-based career criminal with a genius for disabling alarm systems. Filmmaker Tommy Reid's documentary explains how Christopher gained his unusual expertise and how he put his skills to use in the California job. Christopher is interviewed at length, offering a remarkably frank review of his lawless life. Christopher's family members and friends also weigh in, along with a number of FBI agents and other investigators who worked diligently to close the case. Although it could have been more tightly edited, this is an interesting film that is sure to appeal to true-crime aficionados. Recommended. Aud: P. (P. Hall)