The Jewel Thief

A sad story of a talented boy who failed to grow up and evolved into a talented, selfish, angry man-child.

The documentary's celebration of a lifetime of lying, cheating and stealing is misguided. The video clips of his adopted mom document the years of pain and heartbreak he caused her.

One cannot help but wonder if during his teenaged years, a positive role model in his life might have saved him. He could have been an amazing engineer...

Finally, the legal system's treatment of him demonstrates how the legal system contributes to criminal careers / activity.

All that talent. Such a waste. Sincerely, JTS.

"The Jewel Thief" on Hulu. It's a wild ride through the life and times of Gerald Blanchard, a criminal mastermind who could give James Bond a run for his money, minus the suave looks, spy gadgets, world-saving missions, and, well, the charm with the ladies. But hey, we've got something better-real-life audacious heists!

The story unfolds in the picturesque and über-exotic Vienna, Austria, at the Schönbrunn Palace Museum (yes, it's exotic because there's an umlaut in the name). Groovy bass riffs and waka-waka guitar tunes set the stage, with folks on screen marveling at the genius (and sheer audacity) of Blanchard's crimes. Picture this: a parachutist landing on the museum with an umlaut in its name. That's the kind of entrance only a criminal genius can pull off!

As the documentary kicks into gear, they don't just throw around the "greatest criminal mind" title lightly. You'll see the word "Mostly" pop up in serious typewriter font, just to remind us that, well, not everything we're about to hear may be entirely rooted in reality. But who needs reality when we're diving into this rollercoaster of a story?

Buckle up, folks; we're about to uncover the origins of this not-so-secret criminal prodigy.

Gerald Blanchard is a diabolical genius who stole millions from Canadian banks and the police there look like a bunch of Keystone Kops.

The adopted nerd started his criminal career as a teenager and carried a video camera to chronicle his life of crime.

Our neighbors to the north have a laid back criminal justice system, to say the least. Gerald admitted that had he committed the series of thefts in America, he would be serving life in prison.

His adoptive mother is interviewed and she rightly points out that the bankers are much worse than her son. His biological father is not wound too tight, and he believes that his boy is just like his dear old dad. Pop claims to be a martial arts expert and I believe that he may have taken too many blows to the head.

Gerald is interviewed throughout the documentary and although he is quite charming, something seems to be missing from this con man.

I highly recommend The Jewel Thief.

I haven't seen a documentary this good with such an unbelievably ridiculous over the top, never in a million years story that is still boggling my mind that it all happened for real.

It is a crime this phenomenal story has not been made into a movie yet but now with the release of this perfect documentary detailing the most unbelievable mastermind thief the world has known. It's going to be a bidding war between studios. If Netflix doesn't already have something in the works. Hulu really hit the nail on the head with this one. Everything about this doc. Is exactly how I like a story to unfold. Like a safe being cracked. Or maybe an ATM. NO SPOILERS GO WATCH IT!

The Jewel Thief is highly entertaining, you gotta like this guys moxie but I have to say the shows producers got the title wrong, One stollen Jewel in a decades long career of Larceny doesn't warrant a title of "The Jewel Thief". Maybe if he had stolen the Hope diamond then he would have earned that title "The Jewel Thief" But I would have to say the guy is a very likable Rouge and the story is very entertaining. In my humble opinion the bank heists are were his greatest accomplishment aside from getting his story told around the globe, Not easy thing to do! Check it out you will not be disappointed.