Bank Under Siege, on Netflix, is a clumsily titled yet compelling series from Spain that is based on true events, in which a gang of masked attackers take over 200 hostages in the Central Bank of Barcelona. Led by the charismatic “Numero Uno” (Miguel Herrán, Money Heist), the robbers set up shop, demanding that the Fascist leader of a recent rebellion be freed from prison. But is that their real motive? Or is it a diversion to buy them time to escape with 800 million pesetas? The various units of government gather, yet disagree on how to proceed. Meanwhile, a rookie reporter helps a local detective unravel the mystery of Numero Uno’s identity. The series is far more complex than a simple heist story. In fact, to best enjoy Bank Under Siege, you need to know some Spanish political history. Not to worry, I’ve done the work for you.
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Post-Franco Spain
Francisco Franco was the fascist dictator who led Spain from 1936-1975. He ruled with an iron fist, and when he died, Spain was restored to a Monarchy led by King Juan Carlos I. Juan Carlos established Spanish democracy, with elected officials and parliament. While Spaniards celebrated their freedom, there were economic upheavals and increasing violence from Basque separatists that destabilized the country. In January of 1981, the first democratically elected Prime Minister, Adolfo Suárez, resigned, and his cabinet member Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo was appointed his successor. On the 23rd of February, 1981, a group of rebels, some of whom were Civil Guards (national police) and led by Lt. Col Antonio Tejero, stormed the parliament in an attempted coup, hoping to halt Calvo-Sotelo’s confirmation and restore Franco-style fascism. The coup attempt, known as “23F”, failed. The bank heist in Bank Under Siege happens 3 months after the coup attempt, in May of 1981, and although many parts are fictionalized in the series, the event did happen in real life.
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Characters
The viewers’ entrance to the story is through a fictional rookie reporter named Maider (María Pedraza), who just moved to Barcelona. Her father, a veteran journalist, was assassinated a few years earlier, likely due to his coverage of the Basque conflict. She is paired with world-weary photographer Berni (Hovik Keuchkerian), who is a valuable asset to her. When the police get wind of a bank robbery in progress, they send Paco López (Isak Férriz), head of the robbery division, whose detective work pays off in the end. But the main character of Bank Under Siege is Numero Uno. He is a charming, ballsy, professional bank robber, who has been in and out of prison for said crimes. While he could be seen as simply an irreformable thief, he has an interesting back story that ties to some of the current political upheaval.
The government, worried that this is another coup attempt, immediately question whether the Civil Guards are involved, especially when Numero Uno demands that Tejero (Xavi Lite) be released from prison. As for how to handle the crisis, Prime Minister Calvo-Sotelo (Óscar Rabadán), demands that their response doesn’t risk losing any hostages, but General X (Tito Valverde) fears the government will look weak if they don’t storm the bank. Midway through the crisis, Lt. General Manglano (Roberto Álamo), newly appointed head of the CESID (CIA), arrives to counsel the Prime Minister. There’s something scary-calm about him, and he plays a greater role in the goings-on than they know.
Our Take on Bank Under Siege
Bank Under Siege is structured in way that reveals pertinent information as the series goes along, so we don’t really know the motivation for the heist until the last episode. This version of the story is Numero Uno’s, and if he is telling the truth, it’s pretty cynical. Understanding the general politics of post-Franco Spain is crucial, because the show assumes you know it. And that aspect really elevates it above your average hostage thriller. As with most series based on true events, there is a mixture of actual people and fictional characters who are used to move the plot forward or add drama. In this case, I didn’t think we needed Maider at all. If they would have consolidated her character into the Paco character, it would have given the show more of a cat and mouse feel. One beef I have is that the creators added a coda about how drug overdoses skyrocketed under democracy, which felt tacked on, like a different story altogether. But if you like a tense, complex thriller, Bank Under Siege is for you.
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