MovieChat Forums > Trance (2013) Discussion > Why steal a famously unique object?

Why steal a famously unique object?

posted 9 years ago by green17-1
7 replies | jump to latest

What did Franck intend to do with the painting if he had got it? Any art dealer with the funds to pay him for it would know it had recently been stolen, it was all over the news. He couldnt break it down into more easily sellable quantities as is possible with drugs, gold or jewels. Same goes for Elizabeth. Did she really go to all that trouble just to have something nice to hang on her wall?
How is art theft a viable criminal enterprise?
That aside, movie was okay. Better than Slumdog Millionaire. Not as good as 28 Days Later.

[–] DVDfever 9 years ago

Sell it privately for a few million? If it's worth £25m and you get £5m from a private deal, then you've made £5m profit.

Dom Robinson
Editor, http://DVDfever.co.uk

[–] green17-1 9 years ago

But what could the buyer do with it? It would forever be a well known stolen painting. They have paid a few million for something that can never be seen in the law abiding world again, and so is probably worth as much as a "Dogs Playing Poker" print. It's more like a kidnap than a theft. Perhaps he could threaten to destroy it if not paid.

[–] huwdj 9 years ago

There are supposed to be people out there with so much money and influence that 5 million for something only you and a few like minded friends can look at would be considered trivial - or so you occasionally read. There is an awful lot of art and antiquities missing.

[–] PacinoDeniroDutt11 9 years ago

theres something called the black market, some rich *beep* on an indonesian island could buy it and it might never be found

[–] thulk01 8 years ago

You hang it in your house and look at it, just like what you would do if you had bought it legally. Not much difference unless you decide you want to sell it later down the line, then you're basically screwed. But people who buy multimillion dollar stolen art are the kinds of people who have too much money to care about resale value.

[–] Elder_Yautija 8 years ago

Well, there is a tiny difference. This particular painting cannot really be shown to any casual visitor, as it's a famously stolen art piece. In the event of a party, or if the plumber comes to fix the sink, or if a few friends come by to play poker, the painting would have to be removed from sight. Moreover, who in their right mind would go through such lengths to retrieve a priceless art piece, spending great amounts of money and risking jail time if caught with it, only to hang it on "any" wall?
I'm more inclined to believe that, anyone who has the resources to buy stolen art of great value, would have a secret room where their art collection is, and where only a selected group of people are allowed to get in.

[–] Jes' Sayin' (6004) 5 years ago

Just tell people it's a very good reproduction. Practically no one would be able to tell the difference.