With a ludicrous amount of cash, and one of the perpetrators escaping into a luxurious European life posted on Facebook, it’s no wonder Netflix decided to create Baby Bandito. The source material practically writes itself, and it’s easy to fictionalize some details for added drama. The show does this, turning the original robber into a well-meaning skateboarder Kevin Tapia that steals the plans of a mob in order to escape his rough neighborhood, but some of the characterization falters, specifically when it involves his girlfriend Génesis. There are moments it goes into generic territory, but the series is certainly well-shot, full of charm, and daring in the way it focuses more on the consequences rather than the heist itself.
Synopsis
His name is Kevin Tapia. But in Europe he's known as "Il Baby Bandito". This is the story of the skater that pulled off the heist of the century in Chile.
Storyline
Chilean skateboarder Kevin Tapia hopes to turn his life around with a heist to steal one billion pesos from a security truck in a Santiago airport.
TLDR
I know we shouldn’t try to glorify real life criminals, but was secret filming the best way to introduce the love interest?
What stands out
True crime gets a rep for being disrespectful to its victim, but Baby Bandito doesn’t have the same issue considering that the crime is stolen money, not murder. Instead, what drives the plot is how that money was used. A billion pesos is life-changing money, and it’s anyone’s fantasy to have it, which is what sets the show apart from other fictionalized depictions of real life crimes.
