Entertainment · TV & Streaming · 3 hrs ago
James Nelson-Joyce stars as Alves Reis in Portugal heist film
James Nelson-Joyce plays Alves Reis in The Man Who Stole Portugal, a period film about a real fraud in 1920s Portugal.
Reis persuaded a printing contractor to make forged banknotes that were almost indistinguishable from notes issued by the Bank of Portugal.
He lent the fake money to people turned away by established banks, and the scheme nearly bankrupted the country.
The film also stars Emily Fairn as Reis’s wife, Maria, and is directed by Thomas Napper.
Principal photography has finished, and a first-look image shows Nelson-Joyce as Reis with members of his circle.
The film is being sold at the American Film Market, but no release date is given.
James Nelson-Joyce stars as Portuguese criminal Alves Reis in the period film The Man Who Stole Portugal.
The film is inspired by Reis’s 1925 fraud against the Bank of Portugal, involving forged banknotes.
A first-look image was released after principal photography wrapped.
The film is directed by Thomas Napper and written by Richard Galazka, based on a book by Murray Teigh Bloom.
The producers say the heist would be worth $4 billion in today’s money.
- Who
- James Nelson-Joyce plays Alves Reis, with Emily Fairn playing his wife Maria.
- What
- The Man Who Stole Portugal is a period film inspired by Reis’s fraud involving forged banknotes.
- When
- The fraud took place in 1925. The film’s principal photography has wrapped.
- Where
- The fraud targeted the Bank of Portugal.
- Why
- Reis’s stated aim in the film is to build a better life for his wife; director Thomas Napper said Reis sought to share wealth with people who needed it.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Alves Reis perpetrated a fraud against the Bank of Portugal using forged contracts to arrange the printing of banknotes.
The film released a first-look image of its cast and a scene depicting Reis opening his Bank of Angola and Metropole.
- Lead actor
- James Nelson-Joyce
- Film
- The Man Who Stole Portugal
- Director
- Thomas Napper
- Fraud target
- Bank of Portugal
- Fraud year
- 1925
- Estimated value today
- $4 billion
1 source
What people are saying
I could really connect with his frustration at being underestimated, and that determination to prove people wrong.
Alves Reis is one of the most audacious criminals of the 20th century
they pulled off a $4 billion heist in today's money