Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist

5/20/18. I did watch all 4 episodes, but I have seen better true crime series than this one. Probably could have been done with 2 episodes, with better editing.

SPOILER: In recent years Netflix has really been building out a niche for itself creating solid, interesting documentaries. 'Evil Genius' continues that trend with a truly haunting story of murder and betrayal that leaves you breathless, with a spotlight on how far a human soul can sink.

In 2003 a man robbed a bank while wearing a bomb collared around his neck. He was stopped outside the bank by police and gave himself up without a fight, claiming that he had been assaulted and forced into the robbery by unknown black assailants.

The story was, to say the least, sketchy. Police didn't believe him, thinking that his story and the supposed bomb were part of a ruse to escape punishment if he got caught, right up until the collar started beeping and exploded, killing him. Investigation revealed bizarre scavenger hunt style notes in his car giving him instructions for dropping off the money and retrieving keys to unlock his collar, which seemed to support his claims.

Suspects were identified and interviewed, but via a chain of police and FBI screw-ups, no one was charged for the crime for many years. However, a frozen body, seemingly unrelated to the "pizza bomber heist", put the spotlight back on a group of suspects. Gradually, over years, investigations and confessions revealed the deeper story surrounding the crime.

At the center of all of this is a woman named Marjorie emerges as a central figure in numerous deaths and murders. She is smart, beautiful (when she was younger), manipulative and conniving, and about as close to the definition of evil as you can get.

This story is simply depressing as layer after layer is peeled back to reveal aspects of human nature most of us don't want to admit are possible. The final confessions of one of the tangentially connected conspirators, revealed in the last minutes of the final episode, is really just heartbreaking.

This story won't leave you with a warm, fuzzy feeling. Justice is often incomplete or absent altogether, and sometimes bad things just happen to people who don't deserve it. How sad the ending is will kind of depend on how you interpret all of the evidence; the series really prefers to present the information and leave the conclusions to the audience. But it's a fascinating, if unhappy, journey of discovery, and one I think is well worth the 3 hours or so it will take to watch all of the episodes.

The research behind this docuseries was incredible. This foiled bank heist was something I had never heard of, but I became riveted by the complicated plans. The answers to the investigation largely occurred from luck rather than an ingenious detective connecting the dots to clues.

I watched the film 30 Minutes Or Less before I watched this series and noticed some surprising parallels. Both involve a pizza delivery driver, a bomb strapped to someone's chest and a large amount of money at stake. However, the real world version is far more peculiar and full of eccentric characters.

Those involved in the scheme were deeply angry and felt that the world owed them. Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong is deeply troubling and I was even frightened of her as I was watching footage of her. Her eyes are deeply troubling and multiple eyewitnesses tie her to locations close to the bank during the time of the robbery.

While there were answers about the crime, there are still many, many questions that will most likely never be answered. This is due to the fact that many people involved have since passed away from natural causes. The research involved in bringing all of this information to light is something that I deeply respect and admire. The dedication to such a difficult investigation and finding answers is truly admirable.

This is one of Netflix's best true crime series. The quality and attention to detail is truly amazing. I hope that 2021 brings more docuseries exactly like this one. I highly suggest to watch the show and peruse other docuseries that are also on Netflix.

I've been struggling to get into shows of late, so was happy to find myself hooked on this documentary series, watching it all in just over a day.

Its just mind-blowing. Each episode has its own strong stories that would work well as a stand-alone event, except that they are all related in complex ways and tell this insane over-arching plot. The mystery that unfolds from the bizarre SAW-like first episode is so unpredictable and twisty, right up to the very last moments.

Its fascinating watching interviews, hearing bits of pieces of information, and finding your mind folding in on itself as you try to suss people out, think about motives, all the 'what ifs' etc. There is something always eerie and atmospheric about seeing evidence, street footage of locations, news footage, tying it all together like you're a voyeuristic detective.

I thought it was brilliantly researched and edited, and never a dull moment. I'd have loved for a body language expert like Paul Ekman (or someone like his fictional protege Cal Lightman from Lie to Me) to analyse the interviews for 'tells' as they were plentiful.

With incredible true-stories like this, brilliantly told, I struggle to justify why I'd want to watch a made-up story with self-conscious actors and gimmicky direction. There's so much more to learn, and substantial food for thought from real life.

This is one of the craziest stories I've ever heard of! So many twists and turns, and just when you think you have your head wrapped around it...you find out you don't! Hard to believe this really happened.