critics consensus

Cleverly assembled and rich with insight, this dissection of D.B. Cooper's legend offers a compelling case for why -- when it comes to mysteries -- the journey is often more tantalizing than the destination. Read critic reviews

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Movie Info

Unravelling the mystery surrounding D.B. Cooper, who boarded a Northwest Orient Airlines plane in November 1971 and hijacked the flight while it was still on the tarmac.

Genre:

documentary
Original Language:

English
Director:

John Dower
Release Date (Streaming):

Nov 25, 2020
Runtime:

1h 25m
Production Co:

Minnow Films

Cast & Crew

Peter Caulfield
Ron Forman

John Dower
Director

News & Interviews for The Mystery of D.B. Cooper

TV Premiere Dates 2020

View All

Critic Reviews for The Mystery of D.B. Cooper

All Critics (32) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (29) | Rotten (3)

It wasn't a film about the identity of DB Cooper, but about the power of myth, the unreliability of memory and our desperation to believe in something.

December 31, 2020 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Anita Singh
Daily Telegraph (UK)
HBO's treatment of the evergreen saga remains fresh, fun, and all-consuming.

December 31, 2020 | Full Review…

Lorraine Ali
Los Angeles Times
Dower succumbs to some of the more annoying trappings of such informational documentaries, but overall this is compelling.

December 30, 2020 | Full Review…

Kathleen Sachs
Chicago Reader
A wild tale, full of eccentric characters...

December 16, 2020 | Rating: B | Full Review…

Katie Rife
AV Club
Writer/director John Dower's documentary is simply content to revel in the unknowability of its story. To that end, it's a tantalizing look at a case that stymies conclusions at every turn.

December 3, 2020 | Full Review…

Nick Schager
The Daily Beast
It's fascinating and a lot of fun, but in a larger sense it speaks to the reason why people get fascinated with a story like this.

November 26, 2020 | Full Review…

Christy Lemire
FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
A fascinating true-crime documentary that is as perplexing in its mystery as it is entertaining in its execution.

January 16, 2021 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Matthew Pejkovic
Matt's Movie Reviews
There is no rancor, judgment or patronizing in the telling, but it keeps its sense of humor without losing its drama or suspense.

December 31, 2020 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Tony Sokol
Den of Geek
Dower wisely knows that he's not going to solve this case that even the FBI couldn't crack, and instead broadens his perspective into what the Cooper case means to people and why this unsolved mystery has such enduring power.

December 31, 2020 | Rating: B | Full Review…

Matt Goldberg
Collider
This terrific Storyville from John Dower picks apart what became a Robin Hood story and hears from retired FBI agents involved the in case, and the friends and family members of a handful of suspects.

December 31, 2020 | Full Review…

Alison Graham
Radio Times
I was left with two thoughts: evidence, without any additional motive or context, is not as it says; and all Americans want to be, briefly, acknowledged for their life, preferably on screen.

December 14, 2020 | Full Review…

Euan Ferguson
Observer (UK)
highly entertaining in the way it interweaves all of the possibilities, tantalizing us with the all-too-convincing clues that pinpoint the various suspects as Cooper

December 9, 2020 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

James Kendrick
Q Network Film Desk