Bank Under Siege is a Spanish Netflix original that is based on the true events that took place in the city of Barcelona in the year 1981. This is a period drama that unfolds as a robbery takes place in the Central Bank, situated in the city of Barcelona. As the hostage situation becomes tense, the police, the army, and the bureaucrats get involved to uncover the real motive behind the robbery and to find out if there were some other influential powers involved in this. Hence, there are many characters in the show that delve deep into this issue.
Spoilers Ahead
Jose Juan Martinez Gomez
Miguel Herran portrays the role of Jose Juan Martinez Gomez in Bank Under Siege, the leader of the robbers that have taken over the Central Bank in Barcelona. He is referred to as Number One by the fellow robbers who have followed him into the bank. There is a genuine fear amongst the hostages, as Jose Juan is capable of killing any of them if their demands aren’t fulfilled. Jose Juan is smart, yet his team does not believe in his leadership qualities. As the series progresses, Jose Juan’s history is discussed. He is a professional robber who is an anarchist as well, and he believed in questioning the status quo through violence.
Jose Juan was a part of a secret ensemble serving the government by orchestrating robberies, but his group was disbanded to avoid being arrested for the crimes they committed. Jose Juan’s return to large scale robberies could indicate this whole thing was connected to people who supported the attempted coup earlier that year .
Francesco Lopez
Isak Férriz is Captain Francesco Lopez, the police officer in charge of investigating robberies. Francesco Lopez was at the scene of the crime right from the start, and he wants to get to the bottom of the matter to find out who the robbers are. Since the army has taken over the situation, Francesco’s job is to find out where this group came from and what their history is. Francesco also gets along with the rookie journalist Maider, who is keen to do a story on the leader of the gang. Francesco, however, is under a lot of pressure, as he and his superiors did not want any civilian casualties in their pursuit to capture the robbers who’ve taken over 300 people hostage. Francesco asks the right questions but is not sure if that will help him find answers.
Maider
María Pedraza is Maider, the rookie journalist who has impressed her new boss Isabel with her good journalistic skills. Just a few days into her job, her first assignment is to cover the robbery at the Central Bank in Barcelona and find as much information as possible in connection to it. She and the photographer with the same newspaper, Paul, are the first people to come across the ransom letter left by the robbers.
Maider is intrigued, and she is keen to dig deeper into the case even though Isabel has asked her to step away from the story. Maider has a sad history, losing her father to a political killing, which is why she feels it is her duty to get into the field of journalism and question the status quo. Maider and Francesco become an intriguing police-journalist duo who want to find out more about the leader of the robbers inside and if he has any history with the politicians of the country at that moment.
Paul
Hovik Keuchkerian plays the role of Paul, the photographer with the same newspaper Isabel and Maider work for. Paul is a celebrated photographer, yet he is struggling with his personal life. Initially, there is friction between him and Maider, as the latter thinks he is treating her like a child. It turns out he saw a lot of fierceness in Maider, which reminds him of his daughter Paula. Paul and Maider eventually become good friends and help each other out as the robbery/hostage situation intensifies. Paul is aware the army will assault the bank from the rooftop, and he places himself to be able to capture images that will change the history of the country.
Isabel Ruig
Patricia Vico is Isabel Ruig, Maider’s boss in the newspaper. Isabel is impressed with Maider, and the young girl reminds her of her younger days as a rookie journalist. Isabel, however, has become far more professional over the years, and she sees potential in Maider to look into other stories that would benefit from her angst. Isabel comes across as someone who is leaning towards the current government and probably does not want her organization to come across as critical of it. Isabel tries to be Maider’s friend, but the latter is more concerned about the volatile situation at the bank.
General Alonso Manglano
Roberto Álamo is General Alonso Manglano, one of the key players who has joined the negotiation team along with other high-ranking officers to discuss the hostage situation carried out by robbers in the Central Bank in Barcelona. General Alonso Manglano has just joined as the new director of CESID, the Spanish intelligence agency. He is asked to give his input on how to handle the situation. However, as the story progresses, it is revealed that General Alonso Manglano knew the leader of the robbers in the bank, Jose Juan, from many years ago. This indicates there is something fishy about the hostage situation. As the motive and the conspiracy are brewing, Maider and Francesco are keen to find out if the government is involved in the robbery.
