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The Thief Collector

Play trailer Poster for The Thief Collector 2023 1h 33m Documentary Crime Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
91% Tomatometer 43 Reviews 84% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
It was one of the most audacious and puzzling art thefts of a generation; In 1985, Willem de Kooning's seminal work, "Woman Ochre," was sliced from it's frame and stolen from the walls of an Arizona art museum, disappearing into the desert. Over thirty years later, in a remote town in New Mexico, the $160 million dollar painting was rediscovered in the unlikeliest of places.
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The Thief Collector

The Thief Collector

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Critics Consensus

An effortlessly engaging true-crime documentary, The Thief Collector reaffirms that reality can be stranger than fiction -- and sometimes just as entertaining.

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Critics Reviews

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Nell Minow AWFJ.org 08/05/2023
We often speak of a “who done it” as though the answer to the mystery is simply the identity of the person committing the crime. But ​The Thief Collector entreatingly and insightfully shows us that is just the beginning of the story. Go to Full Review Noel Murray Los Angeles Times 05/18/2023
Allison Otto’s snappy documentary “The Thief Collector” ponders how and why the Alters got away with their one famous crime — and perhaps many more. Go to Full Review Cath Clarke Guardian 03/29/2023
3/5
If nothing else, this documentary ought to give someone working in television the idea of making a detective series about house clearance experts. Go to Full Review Marya E. Gates Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack) 05/17/2024
It’s got a breezy touch as it makes its way through the labyrinthine story of the painting and how it intersects with the twisted life of the Alters Go to Full Review Tim Miller Cape Cod Wave Magazine 12/17/2023
3.5/4
A Willem de Kooning painting stolen decades earlier from an art museum is discovered hidden in the home of Jerry and Rita Alter after they’ve died. ... in this compellingly offbeat true-life crime documentary. Go to Full Review Linda Cook OurQuadCities / WHBF-TV (Illinois) 09/15/2023
4 stars
You can't make this stuff up. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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PJ J 12/22/2024 Unless you lived in Tucson and were paying attention to local news in 2017, or lived in Silver City, NM then, you almost certainly will have no clue about this amazing story. Truth truly stranger than fiction, a documentary that engages as a docu-drama. See more Michael H 06/04/2023 A solid documentary about a big heist perpetrated by a genuinely bizarre couple living in nowhere, New Mexico. Re-enactments (which often are dopey and boring) here are witty and tongue-in-cheek. See more Adam G @agelva 05/31/2023 An extraordinary, stranger-than-fiction story that must be seen to be believed. I loved this movie. See more Read all reviews
The Thief Collector

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Cast & Crew

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Allison Otto

Director

Glenn Howerton

Jerry Alter

Sarah Minnich

Rita Alter

Scott Takeda

Actor

Matt Pittenger

Actor

Mark Monroe

Screenwriter

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The Thief Collector

The Thief Collector (2022) The Thief Collector (2022) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis It was one of the most audacious and puzzling art thefts of a generation; In 1985, Willem de Kooning's seminal work, "Woman Ochre," was sliced from it's frame and stolen from the walls of an Arizona art museum, disappearing into the desert. Over thirty years later, in a remote town in New Mexico, the $160 million dollar painting was rediscovered in the unlikeliest of places.
Director
Allison Otto
Producer
Caryn Capotosto, Jill Latiano, Joshua A. Kunau
Screenwriter
Mark Monroe, Nick Andert
Distributor
FilmRise
Production Co
Roots Productions, Diamond Docs, Museum & Crane, XTR
Genre
Documentary, Crime
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 19, 2023, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
May 19, 2023
Runtime
1h 33m
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