KSL Movie Show review: ‘The Diamond Heist’ is a true story with a James Bond-esque plot
Apr 18, 2025, 7:00 AM
"The Diamond Heist" features a number of twists and turns you'll never see coming.
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SALT LAKE CITY — In the midst of a dozen movies and series I either watched or gently perused this week, this three-part British Netflix documentary surprisingly stood out among the best I’ve seen in awhile.
It’s told in chapters— the first featuring the robbers, the second detailing Scotland Yard’s involvement and the third, the extraordinary culmination of both in their planning and execution of what has been called the greatest heist in the history of the world.
A bold statement indeed.
We’ve likely all seen photos of the Millennium Dome in East London on the banks of the Thames, a large, tent-like structure with massive towers and guy wires attached. It looks like a giant white pin cushion with a bunch of spikes sticking out of it.
As years have gone by, the British consider it a tacky edifice in a rough part of town with a bunch of weird stuff inside, except for one notable exhibit.
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The famous diamond company De Beers has created a Museum of Diamonds in one area.
It’s complete with 3-feet-thick concrete walls, a massive time lock vault that takes two people to open and impenetrable glass cases housing several huge diamonds, with the Millennium Star Diamond at the center, coming in at 203 karats and worth a whopping £350 million.
Lee Wenham is a career thief who has been robbing places with his dad ever since he was 12. He would often go to the pub with his father, hearing stories from all the other gangsters and wanted to be cool like them.
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Tired of small-time jobs, Wenham gathered a team to take on an armored truck filled with money, but police arrived too quickly, forcing Lee and his boys to flee the scene. They barely got away.
Later, Wenham is approached by a smooth criminal, Ray Betson, who needs help planning this insane diamond heist. They spend months working out every detail, including using an industrial backhoe to penetrate the Dome, choosing the perfect time of day and somehow breaking the unbreakable glass, then dashing to the river, where a boat will be waiting to make their escape.
It seems like a foolproof plan, with only one problem. Scotland Yard’s elite investigative team, the Flying Squad, knows that something is in the works and makes equal plans in hopes of catching them in the act.
Honestly, if I didn’t know better, I’d say this was right out of a Mission: Impossible or James Bond movie plot. There are a number of twists and turns I promise you will never see coming. It’s absolutely riveting.
“The Diamond Heist” (A) TV-MA for language. Featuring archival footage mixed with reenactment elements. Written and directed by Jesse Vile (“Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet” “Gypsy’s Revenge”) – filmed in London. It’s a three-part documentary on Netflix.
The KSL Movie Show with Andy Farnsworth and Steve Salles airs Fridays on KSL NewsRadio from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Follow the show on Facebook, and join The KSL Movie Show Club for exclusive perks by texting MOVIE to 57500. Message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to cancel. Message frequency varies.
