Federal Bank Heist

Federal Bank Heist

Year: 2011

Runtime: 101 mins

Language: Portuguese

Director: Marcos Paulo

ThrillerDramaCrime

"The Baron" plots a non‑violent heist of three tons of cash, recruiting partners each promised a $1 million share. The scheme draws on the real 2005 robbery in which 168 million Brazilian reais—about 80 million USD—were stolen from the Brazilian Central Bank, the largest peacetime theft in history and arguably the most audacious bank heist ever.

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Timeline & Setting – Federal Bank Heist (2011)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Federal Bank Heist (2011). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

2005

Set in 2005, the story unfolds over months of meticulous planning and escalating risk. The era presents a backdrop of urban change in Brazil, used to heighten tension as the crew advances toward the vault. The events culminate on August 6, 2005, marking the turning point of the operation.

Location

Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil

Fortaleza serves as the urban stage for the Banco Central vault heist. The film depicts a bustling city beneath a quiet veneer, where a tight-knit crew plans a tunnel from an old house to the bank. The chase intertwines police investigations and media attention, framing Fortaleza as both target and witness.

🏙️ City 💰 Bank Heist Setting 🗺️ Brazil

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 06:30

Main Characters – Federal Bank Heist (2011)

Meet the key characters of Federal Bank Heist (2011), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Barão (Milhem Cortaz)

A ruthless mastermind who orchestrates the Fortaleza heist, balancing charm and menace to command obedience. He builds a hidden operation around a fake company and a tunnel, using fear to maintain control. His willingness to eliminate dissent ensures the crew’s adherence and the operation’s secrecy.

💼 Criminal 🧭 Leader 🗡️ Ruthless

Carla (Hermila Guedes)

Barão’s wife and a driving partner who pushes for rapid profits and decisive action. She navigates power dynamics within the crew and challenges Barão’s grip on the operation. Her ambition and pragmatism shape the heist’s internal politics.

💼 Partner 🧭 Ambitious 🗝️ Manipulator

Mineiro (Eriberto Leão)

The loyal right-hand and de facto second-in-command who translates Barão’s plan into action. He keeps the crew disciplined, handles risks, and enforces Barão’s will, even under pressure. His loyalty is tested as fear and greed rise.

🧭 Loyal 🛡️ Enforcer 🧱 Support

Doutor (Tonico Pereira)

A communist civil engineer who designs the tunnel, adding ideological nuance to the crew’s dynamics. He contributes technical expertise and a perspective on collective action within a criminal context. His presence broadens the plan’s legitimacy in the crew’s eyes.

🧰 Engineer 🧭 Ideologue 🗝️ Strategist

Tatu (Gero Camilo)

The brickwork chief who translates the plan into tangible construction work. He oversees the tunnel’s physical progress and problem-solves under pressure. His practical mindset keeps the operation moving forward.

👷 Builder 🧱 Specialist 🕳️ Specialist

Caetano (Fábio Lago)

Another bricklayer helping lay the groundwork for the tunnel. He works alongside the crew, contributing to the feasibility of the ambitious plan. His role highlights the collaboration required for the heist.

👷 Builder 🧱 Team Player 🕳️ Diver

Saulo (Creo Kellab)

A crew member who voices grievances about loot distribution and the risks taken. His challenge to Barão’s order leads to a brutal confrontation, underscoring the fragility of unified purpose. His fate marks a turning point in the crew’s cohesion.

🗣️ Idealist 💰 Demands Fairness ⚔️ Confrontational

Décio (Juliano Cazarré)

A crew member who resists revealing the vault’s location, ultimately meeting a violent end. His stash of information becomes a flashpoint for the investigation. His death accelerates the police net tightening around the group.

🕵️‍♂️ Suspect 🕳️ Buried Truth ⚒️ Reprisal

Firmino (Cadu Fávero)

The security head who disguises himself by assuming Barão’s identity to dodge heat. He is pressured into a false confession, highlighting the game of deception at the heart of the operation. His arrest tightens the net around the rest of the crew.

🕵️‍♂️ Pretender 🗝️ Deception 🧩 Strategist

Léo (Heitor Martinez)

A former cop who gains wealth from the scheme and leans on police connections to protect himself. He weighs betrayals against personal risk, choosing to cooperate with investigators when it serves his safety. His actions propel the investigation forward.

🔒 Ex-Cop 🕵️‍♂️ Informant 💰 Opportunist

Moacir (Antônio Abujamra)

A source of security information for Barão, quietly guiding the crew with insider knowledge. His input helps map security weaknesses and plan safer moves. His role underscores how information is a currency in the heist.

🧭 Informant 🗂️ Insider 🔐 Strategist

Amorim (Lima Duarte)

The sheriff investigating the crime, who traces the operation from the fake company to the bank. His pursuit intersects with Telma’s, shaping the case’s public narrative. His experience and skepticism anchor the law’s response to the heist.

🧐 Investigator 🧭 Detective 🧾 Authority

Telma Monteiro (Giulia Gam)

Amorim’s assistant who tracks the crew and documents the investigation. She plays a pivotal role in connecting the investigative threads and ultimately stepping into leadership after Amorim’s retirement. Her persistence emphasizes the film’s procedural angle.

🕵️ Investigator 🗺️ Proxy Leader 🗒️ Recorder

Devanildo (Vinícius de Oliveira)

A devout evangelist who becomes secretary for the fake company and is drawn deeper into the operation. He initially seeks release but is compelled to stay, witnessing more of the plan’s violence. He eventually confesses to a priest, revealing his shaken conscience and partial immersion in the loot.

🙏 Believer 🗂️ Secretary 💬 Confessor

Robson (Marcello Gonçalves)

A detective hired to monitor the crew, who reappears to pressure Léo and gather intelligence. His presence intensifies the police’s scrutiny and foreshadows the showdown between the criminals and law enforcement.

🕵️ Detective 🧱 Enforcer 🗡️ Pressure

Vágner (Jorge Medina)

A police contact who is drawn into the pursuit, sharing information that narrows the crew’s options. His involvement helps close gaps in the investigation and heightens the sense of an inevitable confrontation.

👮 Cop 🧭 Ally 🕳️ Pressure

Pastor (Milton Gonçalves)

A priest who counsels Devanildo, urging a moral response to the wealth acquired through crime. His guidance adds a religious dimension to the narrative and contrasts with the crew’s material obsessions.

🙏 Clergy 🗣️ Advisor ⚖️ Morality

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 06:30

Major Themes – Federal Bank Heist (2011)

Explore the central themes of Federal Bank Heist (2011), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

💥 Heist

The film centers on an audacious plan to tunnel into a central bank vault, driving the plot forward. Each preparation phase exposes the crew’s varying motivations and moral boundaries. The narrative builds tension around risk, secrecy, and the lure of a life-changing payout.

🤝 Loyalty

Loyalty is tested as ambition, fear, and money strain relationships within the crew. Barão maintains iron control, while others push back or seek better shares, leading to betrayals and tough moral choices. The dynamics between Barão, Mineiro, and the others reveal how trust fractures under pressure.

⚖️ Justice

As investigators close in, the film examines justice versus corruption. The pursuit by Amorim and Telma exposes how crime intersects with institutions and personal ambitions. The ending suggests imperfect outcomes and unresolved loyalties, leaving the outcome to the audience’s interpretation.

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 06:30

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Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Movies with methodical heist plots like Federal Bank Heist

Stories of meticulously planned crimes that unravel under the crushing weight of consequences.If you enjoyed the tense, step-by-step planning and inevitable collapse in Federal Bank Heist, explore more movies like it. These crime thrillers and dramas feature detailed heist schemes that lead to paranoia, betrayal, and a heavy sense of consequence, offering a similar gritty and suspenseful experience.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative typically follows a clear three-act structure: the meticulous assembly of a crew and planning of the heist, the execution which often goes deceptively smooth, and the prolonged fallout where paranoia, betrayal, and external pressure systematically destroy the illusion of a perfect crime.

Why These Movies?

These movies are grouped by their shared focus on process-driven crime, a steady pace that builds unbearable tension, and a ultimately bleak or sad ending that underscores the futility or moral cost of the endeavor. They prioritize gritty realism and psychological strain over glamorous success.

Gritty crime thrillers about moral collapse like Federal Bank Heist

Films where the pursuit of wealth leads characters into a destructive spiral of betrayal.For fans of Federal Bank Heist who were captivated by its heavy themes of greed and betrayal. Discover similar movies like this one, featuring tense criminal underworld dramas where characters are destroyed by their own moral compromises in high-stakes, gritty environments.

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Narrative Summary

These narratives often follow a protagonist or group who enter a criminal enterprise believing they can control the outcome, only to be consumed by the environment. The central conflict is internal as much as external, charting a downward spiral where trust erodes and survival instincts override morality.

Why These Movies?

Movies in this thread share a high-intensity, heavy emotional weight, and a tense, gritty atmosphere. They are united by a central theme of moral corruption, where the true cost of the crime is paid in human relationships and personal integrity, leading to a profoundly sad or bleak conclusion.

Unlock the Full Story of Federal Bank Heist

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Federal Bank Heist Summary

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Federal Bank Heist Summary

Federal Bank Heist Timeline

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Federal Bank Heist Timeline

Federal Bank Heist Spoiler-Free Summary

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Federal Bank Heist Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Federal Bank Heist

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