Formula still intact but wear and tear shows

Rating: 3/5

Heist movies and series are like actual robbers and thieves. It’s hard for them to stop doing what they are doing.

The fourth season of the Netflix series Money Heist aka La Casa De Papel keeps you on the edge for most of its runtime. But the repetitive nature of the plots and the lack of character building are starting to magnify themselves.

A lot is going on in the new season; more blood, more action, and more heist. Season 4 manages to stick to the show’s essence. No sudden incredible twists and no rough edges in terms of character motives. Everything just falls into place at the right time. That’s a great thing about Money Heist. It’s intense but an easy watch. Similar to hit Hollywood action thrillers like Die Hard and Speed. It makes you bite your nails and guides your attention to details with fairly understandable techniques and quirks, unlike many films that get too boringly technical.

However, I would also argue that this strong suit is also doing a disservice to the show’s versatility. With characters sounding monotonous and not really learning from the choices they make, it focuses on taking you on a one-way road to each element of the story. Even the infallible mastermind, El Professor, lacks the kind of motivation that would make those choices more interesting. The show also lacks deep conversations among characters; that is in keeping with the hasty nature of the series but it sacrifices on character depth.

Season 4 also fails in exploring relationships. Don’t get me wrong, the show’s major storyline is about how love and family change things around a heist. Even so, dialogues fail at portraying the vulnerabilities of the characters. It’s as if the movie is focused on the heist and the heist alone. Straightforward.

A downside to the show’s straightforward approach would be that there’s not much room for fan theories, discussions and video essays, which are what keep die-hard fans excited through the wait for Season 5. Yes, that’s true, there’s a Season 5 coming up and it’s currently on hold because of the Covid-19 lockdown.

The parts that I love the most in Season 4 are the church scenes involving Berlin, The Professor and Palermo. It’s a delight watching Pedro Alonso as Berlin delivering ideas and emotions through his eyes and voice. He feels so real and alive. Nairobi played by Alba Flores was another role that had something more to offer than the mediocre performances in the show.

Najwa Nimri’s Alicia Sierra contributes some good moments to Season 4 with her newcomer charms.

Overall, the eight-episode season is a must-watch for adrenaline lovers and fans of heist films.