BANK UNDER SIEGE
Now, everybody… stand up!
-Stand up! -Come on.
Slowly! Put your hands on your head! Do it!
-Come on! -Up!
Come on!
We don't have all day! Quickly!
-Go! -Stay put!
-This way. -Okay, now.
Very slowly, move forward. One by one.
Go.
-To the bus. -Move forward slowly.
To the van.
Keep your hands up.
To the bus. To the bus.
-Keep going. Bus. Bus. -Move. Move.
-Go. -Bus.
Come here. Keep going, ma'am.
Now you, miss. Bus.
-Bus. -Come on. Move quickly!
To the van.
Continue. Bus.
Bus. Calm down. One at a time!
Bus.
Come on. Bus.
Keep going, miss. Bus.
Stop here.
To the van.
To the bus. Keep going.
To the bus.
To the van. Come on.
Bus. Wait.
Go to the van. Right now.
Come on, to the bus.
Continue to the bus.
Come on, to the bus.
Keep going.
Bus.
To the bus.
To the bus. It's okay, sir. It's okay.
To the bus.
And to the bus.
Turn around, please.
Hands on your head.
He's one of them.
What did you say?
-He's one of the attackers. -What are you saying?
He's one of them.
No. No way, officer. No. I came to withdraw money, like the others.
-I swear I came here to-- -Take off your blazer.
-I told you-- -Get against the van.
-I just came to-- -Shut up. Tell me later.
Just take off the blazer.
-Seriously? -I told you to take your blazer off!
Look at me.
Show me your arms.
-Well, I can't… -What do you mean, you can't?
They won't go higher.
-Roll up your sleeves. -They won't.
-Roll them up. -They won't roll up.
-Where is José Juan? -I don't know who that is, officer.
-Where the fuck is Number 1? -I don't know what you're talking about.
I came to withdraw money. That's all.
You, you, and you. To the bus.
Take the others away.
Where did you go, you son of a bitch?
-Number 1? -We haven't found him yet.
Give me your flashlight.
Here.
Take off your glasses.
You caused some chaos, huh?
Stand up.
Easy, mm?
Handcuffs.
Come on.
He's Number 1.
What's your name?
José Juan Martínez Gómez.
He's been involved with anarchist groups
and has a dozen prior convictions for armed robbery.
-And what about his men? -They're all arrested.
-Anyone a Civil Guard? -No, all were common criminals.
Then…
What was the point of asking for Tejero's release?
It was a trick.
We were buying ourselves time to drill a hole to escape through the sewers.
But it didn't go well.
Interrogate him thoroughly. But don't lay a hand on him.
-General. -Commander.
All the hostages are safe.
And so are all of my men. The operation's been successful.
Did you hear that?
-Congratulations. -You as well.
-Thank God. -General.
LETTER OF RESIGNATION
Sir.
The operation is over.
The hostages are safe and sound. All the assailants were captured.
Thank the Lord.
Once they question the detainees, they'll give more details.
That's all.
-Ricardo. -Sir?
Thanks.
You have to rest.
Mr. President.
While Plaza de Cataluña
and the entire country regain normalcy, a press conference has been announced
at the government's delegation in Barcelona.
The authorities will provide details on the Special Ops Group assault
and the identity of the attackers detained.
Please. Silence.
Silence, please! Silence!
As you can imagine, it's been a very hectic 37 hours.
We haven't eaten. We haven't slept. We haven't spoken to the press.
We've lived through an extremely tense situation.
Now that the hostages have been released and the attackers arrested,
we're able to give you more information.
General.
First of all,
I'd like to underscore,
to put an end to speculations,
that there are no Civil Guards
or members of the military among the detainees.
The Civil Guard wasn't at all involved.
Absolutely not.
Do we already know the identity of the attackers?
It seems that we're dealing with a bunch of crooks,
a bunch of thugs and anarchists.
-A terrorist group of anarchists? -No, miss. I didn't say that.
It's a group of common thieves. Just robbers.
So the motivation for the attack was purely financial?
Exactly right, miss.
The blasts on the rooftop…
-One of my men got shot, right? -Mm-hmm.
Cristóbal?
José María Cuevas.
Apparently, he made a sudden move, and a member of the GEOs opened fire.
He was a good man.
He was a bank robber. Just like you.
We all have to make a living, right?
There's a million other ways to make a living without robbing banks.
If there weren't people like me, there wouldn't be people like you. Huh?
Come on. Tell me everything. That way, we can call it a day,
which I think would be good for both of us.
Do you have a smoke?
No blond, huh?
Okay.
Where do I begin?
At the beginning.
I guess the brilliant idea of attacking a five-story bank
and demanding the release of Tejero… was all yours.
I was just performing a job.
Are you telling me they asked you to rob the bank?
No.
They asked me to rob some documents.
What documents?
Some documents that were secured in a safe-deposit box.
Can you tell me who gave you the job?
Get me a pack of blond, and I'll tell you everything.
Maider, congratulations!
-Congratulations! -Thanks.
I don't understand. What's happening?
Your article was the only one that talked about bank robbers.
That's called breaking a story.
I hope this won't go to your heads. Hmm?
Well, we'll settle for a raise and maybe a few days off.
Sure. Take that up with HR. As always.
-Yeah. -Good job, Maider.
I was lucky.
I was in the right spot at the right time.
That's what being a good journalist is all about. Hmm.
That and handing in the article before the deadline to print.
You've got 45 minutes.
-Forty-five minutes? -Come on.
Fuck me.
Thanks.
I want the truth.
The whole truth.
And nothing but the truth.
We got the job around mid-March.
I was with Cuevas
and with some other anarchists at the Ortez restaurant.
Manuel Vilagrán's?
-Do you know him? -I've heard of him, yes.
I've also heard he belonged to the Secret Service with Carrero Blanco.
He was also a spy under Franco.
He told me there was someone in Perpignan who wanted to see me
and who had an important job for me.
So I went to Perpignan.
And I met with the captain.
What captain?
Captain Manglano.
Do you mean Manglano, the director of the CESID?
How are you?
-Good. -The family?
-Good. They're all good. -Great.
We're interested in some documents in deposit box 156
at the Central Bank of Barcelona.
What do you think?
-Why don't your people do it themselves? -No, no.
It has to look like a heist.
It needs to be chaotic. Create a fuss. Huh?
But that'll be easy for you. Listen.
You enter, keep everyone inside the bank,
and make a statement, asking for the release of Tejero
and the rest of the Civil Guards arrested on the 23rd of February.
It's easy. If they think there are Civil Guards inside,
they'll hold Special Ops. Right?
That way, you'll have plenty of time to make a little hole
in the basement and escape through the sewers.
Of course, with all the money they have in the vault.
How much?
Eight hundred million.
That's enough for you, your friends, and your friends' friends to retire.
Can you imagine yourself as the guy behind the biggest heist
in the history of Spain?
Can you imagine?
-I suppose I can. -Good.
Come on.
Let's see if I've got this.
According to you, you had to hold up the bank
to obtain secret documents for him, but making everyone believe
that you were Civil Guards demanding the release of Tejero.
When in reality, you were just robbers who wanted the money from the bank.
That's it, my friend.
What documents were they?
Because for the CESID to set up such an operation,
they must be very important.
I have no idea.
That wasn't our concern.
Those documents… where are they?
Can I go to the bathroom?
Bring all the hostages!
All we cared about was the money.
But the blueprints we got were fake.
If the blueprints they gave you were fake,
it could mean they didn't want you to escape.
You may be right.
Although, more likely,
they wanted us to confront Special Ops so they'd eliminate us.
And especially you.
Well, me and Cuevas,
the only men who knew about this operation.
Well, Cuevas has already been eliminated.
I don't know if you're telling me the truth
or some story you've made up.
-Everything I've told you is true. -Are you sure?
I'm sure.
Commissioner, we should place him
in judicial custody so he can tell the court…
Paco…
take a few days off, okay?
Go get some rest.
You keep them, Blond.
You're gonna need 'em, huh?
CENTRAL BANK HEIST, A SHOCKING CHAPTER IN THE HISTORY OF TERRORISM
CALVO-SOTELO ASKED TO CLARIFY
FEAR OF A NEW AND FINAL COUP
We are live from the parliament floor,
where President Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo
is giving further details on the events that occurred
in Barcelona over the weekend.
Number 1, José Juan Martínez Gómez,
states that on March 15 or 16,
he met an individual called Antonio Luis in Perpignan.
He claimed to support far-right ideologies
and to know about Juan Martínez Gómez's
past criminal activities.
What the hell is this?
Martínez Gómez was needed for an important mission,
the heist and hostage-taking at the Central Bank of Barcelona.
The man in custody received instructions
to confuse the authorities and the public by hiding their true identities
and passing themselves off as a military group.
Spanish and French authorities are searching for Antonio Luis,
contact of the so-called Number 1.
Now, I must admit there's a fundamental question
that I cannot yet fully answer.
Who is behind these acts?
We published that this was just a simple holdup.
And the president, the president,
just said that it was a plot by the extreme right.
Isabel, we published the information we had.
Well, it was a huge fuck-up.
I'll talk to my source, see if he can tell us something.
It's over, Maider.
-There's nothing else to do. -But--
But nothing. We cover mainly local events, and this is now national news,
-But I can keep on investigating it. -Hey! You're not listening to me, or what?
Let me explain.
The past 48 hours. Hmm?
We've had three home invasions, for example.
Here's more. Two minors dead from an overdose.
And a woman killed today by her husband.
That makes 12.
Twelve women were killed by their partners so far this year.
I want to focus on this.
I want to give visibility to these topics. Understood?
Perfect.
Then get moving and put a piece together for me.
Robbery Division.
May I speak with Captain López?
I'm sorry, but the captain is currently on leave.
Ah. Is it possible to get a phone number or an address where I could find him?
No, I'm sorry, but we can't provide that kind of information.
Sure.
All right. Thanks so much.
I know where to find him.
Well, it makes perfect sense.
The Central Bank thing wasn't like February 23rd,
but it has turned Spain upside down.
That only benefits the far right.
And you believe that to destabilize Spain,
a far-right group would hire a dozen crooks?
I don't know, Maider.
But what's been happening in this country lately is a bit surreal.
They're not telling the truth. At least, not the whole truth.
And the Basque is determined to find out, right?
That's right.
What was your daughter's name?
You can drink all you want, but she won't come back,
and you'll never forget her.
I used to cut myself with a blade.
Until, one day… my mother,
who felt as bad as I did,
told me,
"Either we move on and keep living… or we jump out the window."
Then we moved on and kept living.
Paula.
Her name was Paula.
Next game, I'm in.
You're going to go all warmed up to the championship.
What a surprise, you guys. What do you want?
The heist is over, and I'm on vacation.
Did you hear the president?
A beer?
She said, did you hear the president, Paco?
Go ahead. Ask me anything.
-Did you meet Number 1? -Yes, I did.
-Did you speak with him? -Yes, I did.
And what did he say?
If I told you, you wouldn't believe it. In fact, I find it hard to believe.
Was there a far-right group behind all this?
He told me the operation was a job for Manglano,
the director of the CESID.
He wanted to get back some documents that were in a safe-deposit box.
They made it look like a far-right thing
with the statement about Tejero as a decoy.
And the payment for the job was the 800 million stored in the vault.
I have no idea if, after talking to me, he decided to change his version,
or if someone made up a more convenient one.
What documents could be so important to set up an operation like this?
He never got to see them.
But I don't know if he lied or told me the truth.
Now, if you'll excuse me…
Hey.
This thing smells pretty awful.
If I were you, I'd be very careful.
Okay. Thanks.
You've got a visitor.
Fuck! I've already told you all I know.
Let me sleep. Do me that favor.
How are you, Jose?
-Now you're the Director of the CESID? -Mm-hmm.
Kudos.
Everything's pretty damn good for you after swapping sides.
I'm adapting to the new times, huh?
And you probably should do the same, hmm?
It was a trap, right?
-No. -No?
Uh-uh.
So, you didn't know the wall was pure hard rock
and there was no way to get out?
I had no clue.
I swear on my family.
The only thing I can think of is that maybe those blueprints were made
before the basement wall was reinforced.
-That has to be the reason. -Sure.
Well, I took a huge risk to finish your job.
And look where I ended up.
Well, let's not talk about the past because there's no solution to that. Okay?
And what do you want to talk about? Huh?
Because I've testified a dozen times now, and I'm starting to get a little fed up.
Listen, Jose.
Listen carefully.
The only thing you have to do is make another statement
where you admit all you've been saying during this time was a lie.
That the idea of the heist was yours
and the only thing you wanted was the money from the Central Bank.
That's all you have to say.
But what's in it for me, though?
For you not to disappear.
For you, nor your family.
You're gonna get a few years, but you were gonna get them anyway.
The outcome is the same.
However, if you do change your statement,
the government's undisclosed funds will take care of things.
They will ensure that your wife and kids won't want for anything.
Understood?
That's it.
You think about your family, huh?
-I do that every day. -Nice.
That's thinking like a man.
Very good deal. Think about it.
AN END WITH MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
-Chema, where's Maider? -Don't know. I haven't seen her.
Berni, have you seen Maider?
She must be writing the article you assigned her.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
SOUTH OF FRANCE ON ALERT
You were friends with Jose. Can you tell me something about him?
He was obsessed with pulling off one last heist and then retiring.
That kid is a pathological liar. He just tells lies.
Nah, sweetheart. Don't trust him.
General, I work for the Daily Barcelona.
I'd like to ask you some questions.
Do you think there's a secret plot behind the heist of the Central Bank?
PRESS COVERS HEIST
Mr. Rollán?
-Yes? I am. -How are you? I'm Maider Garmendia.
I'd like to ask you some questions about the heist.
Two different feelings.
That feeling of joy because it was over.
And immediately, a feeling of confusion.
There was no way that people who were described
as anarchist-leaning crooks and thugs
had the state cornered
in a perfectly organized,
perfectly orchestrated attack.
Nobody believes that. It's obvious…
See? González also believes that there's something else.
I talked to people who knew Number 1. It's incredible.
Each one of them says something different.
One said he was obsessed with pulling off one last heist and retiring.
Another one, that he's a pathological liar and we shouldn't believe anything he says.
Another one, that he's an informant for the police,
and when he was an anarchist, he ratted out several comrades.
Maider, it's like February 23rd. We'll never know what happened.
I'd love to speak with him. Or Manglano.
You've got something pending.
Do you remember Isabel's assignment?
-Good afternoon, Lieutenant Colonel. -Mr. President.
Any news?
For now, all the detainees are common criminals.
Here.
And the story about the far right?
We think Sánchez made it up to give the robbery a political slant,
so he reduced his sentence.
Incredible. This is turning into a charade.
It's time to move past this. Hmm?
We must forget this matter sooner than later.
There are still some coup supporters, but just at the bases.
If you grant me the budget and the power I'm gonna need,
you won't have to worry about any more coup d'états.
I need to speak with the rest of the cabinet.
In one or two days, I'll give you a response.
Perfect.
By the way…
the king told me that, moving forward,
the CESID will handle the security of His Majesty.
That's what the king said?
All right. If you have nothing else to talk about… Ricardo!
Mr. President.
Here's the piece you assigned me.
Have a seat for a moment.
I'm fond of you, Maider. Honestly.
And as a journalist, you could be extraordinary.
But I can't have someone on my team working by herself.
-But… -I know you're still on the bank thing.
I know.
I need to know the truth.
And to know what happened.
I understand.
But in that case, you'll have to change sections.
Or newspapers.
Yes?
No, no. Put him through.
Yes, Mario.
Hmm.
Yeah.
Sure.
Hmm.
Okay. Around… when will it be ready?
What are you doing here?
Wanna grab a drink somewhere?
You didn't pick the best day.
There's something I want to share.
I was at the command center during the first few hours.
At around 10:30 in the morning,
a call was made to the bank to talk to Number 1.
When he heard his voice,
General Pajuelo thought it was Captain Gil Sánchez Valiente.
-But it wasn't him. -No. Nothing to do with him.
But maybe his subconscious betrayed him.
Guess where Sánchez Valiente was during the coup.
-Where? -In the Congress building with Tejero.
So?
According to my informants, he left there with some documents.
The documents that were kept at the bank.
If the story Number 1 told me is true, it would totally make sense.
Let's get out of here. We're being watched.
Why are you helping now?
It'd be nice if people knew the truth for a change.
The Basque Country was my first assignment.
But after being there for six months,
they set off a car bomb in front of our station.
The building practically collapsed, and…
I was saved by a miracle.
Who are you?
Why are you in my house? Go, or I'll call the police.
No, there's no need. It's just a friendly visit.
Relax. Why don't you pull the door shut and sit?
What do you want?
The only person who…
knows the complete truth is José Juan.
But he won't say anything. For his own sake, of course. Hmm?
So stop wasting your time.
Forget all of this.
See?
Felipe González is going to win the election.
So then, in Spain, there's going to be radical reforms,
whether we like it or not.
In a couple of years, the 23rd of February
and the heist at the Central Bank will be history.
And then, if you want to,
you can write a little book to tell everyone about what happened.
But for now, forget about it all.
Understood?
Hmm?
You should look forward.
The future's full of money and possibilities.
All for you.
And who doesn't like a little money, huh?
How are you? Are you okay?
It was him. In my home. Manglano.
He thinks he's untouchable.
We really should leave it alone.
I won't give up.
-If I could speak to Number 1-- -No, that's impossible.
There is somebody else who might know what's in those documents.
ORTEZ BAR
There he is. Let's go.
We want to talk to your boss.
He's not around, but if you want, I can tell him something when I see him--
Don't mess with me because I just saw him come in right now.
What's going on here?
What's happening, huh?
Well, Mr. Vilagrán, we'd like to talk to you for a moment.
It'll just be a minute.
Let's go in here.
Well…
How can I help you?
We found out you were at the Central Bank.
We know you left with the first group of hostages that got out.
You took some documents from safety deposit box 156.
We need information about those documents.
You've got the wrong person, okay?
I don't know anything about that bank or any documents being stolen.
Listen, we can do this thing by the book
or make a mess.
Okay, I'm talking! But please don't hit me. Don't hit me.
Okay. Calm down.
Mm. Don't worry, Manuel.
Nobody will know you said anything. It'll just stay between us.
What happened with the documents?
SECRET
Those contained members of the provisional government
after the coup d'état.
Manglano was ordered to get the documents back
in exchange for being named director of the CESID.
During years of authoritarian regime…
MAY 30, 1982 NATO HQ, BRUSSELS
…Spaniards saw the West and Europe
as being synonymous with freedom and democracy.
JULY 7, 1981
Divorce, now!
The Divorce Act finally passed with votes from the opposition.
Rockers, whoever's not high, get high and watch out!
We mean it! We feel it! Felipe's gonna be it!
OCTOBER 28, 1982
This victory gives the Socialist Party the honorable mandate
of leading the nation's government
during the next four years.
CENTRAL BANK
It's a fucking epidemic.
Give people drugs and alcohol and they'll forget everything.
You've got a visitor.
It's been a long time.
-I got transferred to Madrid. -Hmm.
I heard about it. What brings you here?
They announced the sentence for the Central Bank.
The Blond got 38 years.
And, per the ruling, his motive was purely financial.
Want to grab a drink somewhere?
Of course.
MARTÍNEZ GÓMEZ GOT OUT ON TEMPORARY RELEASE 8 YEARS LATER
AND ESCAPED.
HE CLAIMS THE FIRST THING HE DID WAS GO BACK TO THE BANK AND RETRIEVE
MONEY HE HAD HIDDEN IN THE BASEMENT.
MANGLANO, HAVING LED CESID SINCE 1981,
RESIGNED IN 1995 OVER A WIRETAPPING SCANDAL
TARGETING POLITICIANS, DIPLOMATS, ENTREPRENEURS, AND JOURNALISTS.
JOSÉ JUAN MARTÍNEZ GÓMEZ STANDS BY HIS VERSION OF EVENTS.
IT HAS NOT YET BEEN POSSIBLE TO PROVE THE INVOLVEMENT
OF MANGLANO OR VILAGRÁN IN THE EVENTS SHOWN HERE.
DURING THE CALVO-SOTELO ADMINISTRATION, SPAIN JOINED NATO, PASSED THE DIVORCE ACT,
AND COUP PLOTS CEASED.
IN THE 1982 GENERAL ELECTIONS,
FELIPE GONZÁLEZ'S PSOE TRIUMPHED…
AND SPAIN "TURNED THE PAGE."
BASED ON REAL EVENTS.
Subtitle translation by: Soledad Etchemendy