Underplayed Gems

Money Heist (2017)

Money Heist poster
Original title
La casa de papel
Directed by
Koldo Serra
Cast
Álvaro Morte, Pedro Alonso, Úrsula Corberó, Miguel Herrán, Itziar Ituño, Esther Acebo, Paco Tous, Alba Flores
Genre
buddy film, action television series, crime television series, romance television series, black comedy television series, action thriller
Country
Spain
Length
3 seasons, 41 episodes
Rated
TV-MA
Rating
8.2 of 10 from 19,544 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
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How it feels

A criminal mastermind called the Professor orchestrates elaborate robberies of Spain's most secure money institutions. The story follows the robbers and hostages inside the heists, with flashbacks and shifting perspectives revealing their plans and personal conflicts.

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What happens

Money Heist (Spanish: La casa de papel, [la ˈkasa ðe paˈpel], lit. 'The House of Paper') is a Spanish heist crime drama television series created by Álex Pina. The series traces two long-prepared heists led by the Professor (Álvaro Morte), one on the Royal Mint of Spain, and one on the Bank of Spain, told from the perspective of one of the robbers, Tokyo (Úrsula Corberó). The story is told in a real-time-like fashion and relies on an unreliable narrator, flashbacks, time-jumps, and hidden character motivations for complexity. The series was initially intended as a two-part limited series. It had its original run of 15 episodes on Spanish network Antena 3 from 2 May 2017 through 23 November 2017. Netflix acquired global streaming rights in late 2017. It re-cut the series into 22 shorter episodes and released them worldwide, beginning with the first part on 20 December 2017, followed by the second part on 6 April 2018. In April 2018, Netflix renewed the series with a significantly increased budget for 16 new episodes total. Part 3, with eight episodes, was released on 19 July 2019. Part 4, also with eight episodes, was released on 3 April 2020. A documentary involving the producers and the cast premiered on Netflix the same day, titled Money Heist: The Phenomenon (Spanish: La casa de papel: El Fenómeno). In July 2020, Netflix renewed the show for a fifth and final part, which was released in two five-episode volumes, on 3 September and 3 December 2021, respectively. Similar to Money Heist: The Phenomenon, a two-part documentary involving the producers and cast premiered on Netflix the same day, titled Money Heist: From Tokyo to Berlin. The series was filmed in Madrid, Spain. Significant portions were also filmed in Panama, Thailand, Italy (Florence), Denmark and in Portugal (Lisbon). A South Korean remake set in an alternate universe, Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area, was released in two parts on 24 June and 9 December 2022 respectively, while a direct spin-off, Berlin, with Pedro Alonso, Itziar Ituño, and Najwa Nimri reprising their roles, was released on 29 December 2023, forming a shared universe. The series received several awards including the International Emmy Award for Best Drama Series at the 46th International Emmy Awards, as well as critical acclaim for its sophisticated plot, interpersonal dramas, direction, and for trying to innovate Spanish television. The Italian anti-fascist song "Bella ciao", which plays multiple times throughout the series, became a summer hit across Europe in 2018. By that year, the series was the most-watched non-English-language series and one of the most-watched series overall on Netflix, having particular resonance with viewers from Mediterranean Europe and the Latin American regions. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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