The Ringleader: The Case of the Bling Ring

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The Ringleader: The Case of the Bling Ring

2023

1h 35m

Crime

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

83%

Tomatometer

6 Reviews

30%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

In a candid, first-time interview with Rachel Lee, the so-called teenage mastermind behind a string of high-profile celebrity robberies in 2008 and 2009, THE RINGLEADER: THE CASE OF THE BLING RING examines the motivations of Lee and a group of her friends who broke into celebrity homes in Hollywood to ransack and steal, exploring the possible reasons behind her actions including mental health issues and addictions, as well as the climate of celebrity excess that fueled the teens, recontextualizing the events behind the sensational headlines.

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Craig Mathieson

The Age (Australia)

Its most interesting take is on how their arrest and notoriety became a profitable opportunity others readily benefited from.

Oct 12, 2023

Full Review

Savina Petkova

A Good Movie To Watch

The rest of the doc feels too formulaic in the way it stitches together personal archive footage that is more or less neutral. Banking too much on exclusivity when it comes to the interview, already clouds it with expectations.

Rated: 7.1/10

Oct 29, 2023

Full Review

Alison Lanier

Pajiba

This is what I have to call beating a thoroughly dead horse. And despite having a new perspective on the story via Lee, The Ringleader only really manages to give a platform to yet another Bling Ring member swearing they’ve reformed.

Oct 13, 2023

Full Review

Farah Cheded

A Good Movie To Watch

As a psychological profile of its subject, this documentary [...] isn’t as rigorous as it should be — but as a portrait of that hyper-materialistic era and our never-ending obsession with fame, it fares much better.

Oct 7, 2023

Full Review

John Serba

Decider

The Ringleader is engaging despite being borderline repetitive and irrelevant.

Oct 4, 2023

Full Review

Leigh Paatsch

Herald Sun (Australia)

Though this HBO doco is a little late to the party, it does have something all those other Bling Ring projects did not: the full co-operation and participation of the gang’s manipulative girl-boss, Rachel Lee.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 4, 2023

Full Review

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Alejandra C

Would have love to see the full story of the poker player instead

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/14/24

Full Review

David F

This is the Bling Ring documentary we've been waiting for: Rachel Lee's side. Often portrayed as the ringleader of the group of teens who robbed their favourite celebrities, Lee has really avoided talking to any of the numerous outlets, writers, and filmmakers who have told this story over and over again. She fills in a few details here but unfortunately leaves a lot of mysteries about the whole case. This is a combustible documentary about true crime, celebrity, social media, and media.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/31/23

Full Review

Michael W

This HBO documentary was alright. Rachel Lee and the entire crew did a decent job on this documentary. It's a depressing and traumatic look into why Rachel Lee and her friends known as The Bling Ring broke into celebrities homes and stole their most prized possessions. If you haven't seen this documentary yet, don't waste your time. In my opinion, it's not worth watching.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/16/23

Full Review

X O

Americans are so fucked up. Whafs the big deal with brands as identity? It's a stupid. Aspiring to be white class is so dumb. They are fucked up, too. Get over it. Following celebrity culture is pathetic. They are the most fucked up because they are so fake. Wake up.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

10/09/23

Full Review

L G

was curious about the case, as i didn't follow it or hadn't seen the movie about it. i might check that out, at least the user reviews to see it it's worthwhile, so i did get that out of this doc. but still, vapid comes to mind as the best way to describe it. "blame the other guy" sealed the deal on making this watch dull as dirt.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/04/23

Full Review

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Erin Lee Carr

Director

Erin Lee Carr

Producer

Dani Sloane

Producer

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The Ringleader: The Case of the Bling Ring: Trailer

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Synopsis

In a candid, first-time interview with Rachel Lee, the so-called teenage mastermind behind a string of high-profile celebrity robberies in 2008 and 2009, THE RINGLEADER: THE CASE OF THE BLING RING examines the motivations of Lee and a group of her friends who broke into celebrity homes in Hollywood to ransack and steal, exploring the possible reasons behind her actions including mental health issues and addictions, as well as the climate of celebrity excess that fueled the teens, recontextualizing the events behind the sensational headlines.

Director: Erin Lee Carr
Producer: Erin Lee Carr, Dani Sloane
Distributor: HBO
Genre: Crime, Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 1, 2023
Runtime: 1h 35m

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