Vjeran Tomic The Spider-Man of Paris (Vjeran Tomic: L’homme-araignée de Paris) is a true-crime documentary film released on Netflix on October 20, 2023. It is filmed, directed and produced by Jamie Roberts and executive produced by Dan Reed. The film has a runtime of about 1 hour and 26 minutes.
The documentary features Vjeran Tomic, as he shares his first-hand experience, along with Christophe Girard, Fabrice Hergott, Veronica, Jacques, Thomas Erhardy, Laurent Alverda, Guillaume, Bruno, Jean Pierre Fargeon and Korine Opiola.
-This Article Contains Spoilers-
Vjeran Tomic The Spider-Man of Paris Review
The film starts off with the investigating police officers and victims of Tomic’s theft, describing him as a man with lots of guts, respectable and truly uncatchable. Although infamous for stealing from rich apartments in Paris and bagging the name of ‘Spider-man’, Tomic became a notorious worldwide figure for stealing 5 famous art pieces from the Paris Museum of Modern Art (Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris).
In the year 2010, he pulled off the biggest heist in the art world which has left a significant impact on French history. He stole five masterpieces from Picasso, Braque, Matisse, Léger and Modigliani, worth over 104 million euros, or about $112 million. How was he able to do that, sheds a big light on the lenient security of the museum that made it possible for him.
He shared a detailed picture of how he observed the museum and the security for quite some time. Until he found the appropriate time when no security could be detected at night. Tomic would often look from outside a museum window to gauge the situation inside & discovered that it could be his easy way in. By unscrewing the window pane over a few days & filling the holes with modelling clay, he was able to find his way in and steal what he could.
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If you are aware of how the event unfolded, then he took out the paintings from their frame, left them at the backside & drove away untraceable for almost a year. In a way it was a perfect heist where no evidence could have led to him, even after getting caught on the CCTV, he couldn’t be identified and could have led a good life without anybody ever knowing. However, not everything goes according to plan, especially when you are working with crooks.
Whether one believes it or not, Vjeran Tomic claims that it was supposed to be his last ever steal. He was offered 50,000 euros per art piece by an art dealer named Jean Michel Corvez. And with that amount multiplied by 5, he thought he would be sought out for life, would buy a sailboat & roam around the world. But Corvez didn’t keep his word & only offered 40,000 euros initially, with the promise of paying the remaining later. This came to bite them both as the police found their way to them eventually.
What’s really outrageous about this case is that the art pieces haven’t been recovered yet. On top of that, Corvez’s partner, Yonathan Birn – who was supposedly keeping them, claims to have destroyed and thrown the paintings upon realising that the police were coming for them. Even then, the remains were not found anywhere and almost everyone believes that they are well-hidden somewhere and will surprisingly re-appear someday.
While watching the documentary, it made me think that the Police just got lucky that they were able to convict the right culprits. If it wasn’t for Tomic’s revenge against Corvez over unpaid money, it would be almost impossible to convict them of the crime. In this particular case, one can easily blame the museum for not fixing the alarm system for weeks & the Police for not being thorough & active enough in catching the burglar. And then talking of Tomic as someone extraordinary & respectable person, just because he didn’t harm the people he stole from, is just laughable.
Tomic also blames his dysfunctional & abusive upbringing for becoming the way he is. But he is a criminal at the end of the day and reached there by making those conscious decisions. It really baffles me how such personalities always get an avid fan following or love-bombed by ladies, who would wait eternities for them to get out of jail. His current love, Korine Opiola even simplifies his crimes with – Oh he just likes to climb the buildings, he likes that thrill, he had to steal to make a living etc.
Mind you, he stole from the riches & probably made more than enough to live a comfortable life if he didn’t party it all away. Korine also worries if he will start stealing again or not and even Tomic is still confident about his climbing skills and power. But if someone really just likes the thrill of climbing high then join Parkour or buildering crew or something, not steal valuables.
At the end of the film, the makers were able to trace down Corvez & question him about the art pieces. But he became quite aggressive and violent with them. Even if he still owns them, it’s highly unlikely that they will re-emerge any time soon. And if they are actually destroyed then the world has truly lost those masterpieces.
Rating: 3/5
Vjeran Tomic The Spider-Man of Paris is available for streaming on Netflix.
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