The Diamond Heist Review: In this thrilling Netflix documentary, a group of thieves decide to pull off a daring heist — use a bulldozer to ram-raid the Millennium Dome, steal the world’s second biggest diamond worth £350 million and escape by boat on the Thames. However, what they might or might not know is that the police are on to them, and things might not feel as easy as they are hoping for!
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The Diamond Heist Netflix Director
Jesse Vile
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The Diamond Heist 2025 Cast
Lee Wenham, Bob Adams, Ray Betson
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The Diamond Heist Documentary Producers
Suzanne Lavery, Guy Ritchie, Jonathan Chinn, Simon Chinn, Vanessa Tovell
The series has 3 episodes, each with a runtime of around 45 minutes.
The Diamond Heist Review
The quirky vibe of Netflix documentary The Diamond Heist will make you question what we are watching — let’s not forget that this docuseries encompasses a daring robbery, which isn’t the coolest thing in the world, unlike what the documentary somehow tries to showcase. I mean, there’s also the discussion surrounding the ethics behind the diamond industry, but that’s probably not the soapbox any of us are interested in.
Either way, the light, airy and giggly nature of the interviews, especially from Beth and Lee Wenham, feels a bit disconcerting for average viewers. I don’t know what’s up with the British, but it doesn’t feel very funny if you think about it. At least everyone other than the Wenhams is a bit more serious about it. I think the documentary showcases Lee as an enigmatic and striking personality and shines a white light on him, which doesn’t sit with the fact that he’s a robber.
Everything else about this documentary seems very light and jokey. I don’t know what it is, but it makes the situation cheap. I mean, sure the Millenium Dome was the butt of comedians’ jokes but robbing it isn’t funny. There are a ton of recreations in the show that also have no weightage to them, and neither does it add anything of substance. There’s a point where the documentary introduces muscle man Bill Cockram, and the recreational portion of it is just so silly that it makes you laugh instead of taking it seriously. There are lion sounds in the background as he fights some random person in a bar. I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
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The disbelief continues as the story moves forward. This time, however, since it gets so insane. I loved learning about how the plan came to be. I think the quirkiness of the story goes well with the way it was shown in some portions. The facts are quite interesting and make this somewhat watchable. The second half of the series is more serious than the first, which makes things a bit more tense, especially for a docuseries about a bank robbery. The police’s side of things is interesting, especially the pressure that was put on them.
Final Thoughts
The Diamond Heist is a bit too dramatic for its own good. Bringing forth the story of a daring diamond heist that never reached fruition, the series overdoes every aspect of its story and milks it for every last drop. What it ends up being is an over-the-top docuseries that gets on your nerves. There are some interesting moments, especially in the second and third episodes, but the annoyance never really subsides.
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Sorry Archie, Do you actually know anything about television? I’m embarrassed for you. Nothing more irritating than self appointed ‘critics’ who haven’t got a clue about the craft they are commenting upon. This is a fresh, beautifully made and realised production that tells a fascinating story from both sides of the law and ultimately makes the point that crime doesn’t pay.