The new documentary I Got Bombed at Harvey's from Emmy winners Amy Bandlien Storkel and Bryan Storkel tells the story of the Lake Tahoe 1980 casino bombing in Nevada
NEED TO KNOW
The film is told through the perspective of the teenage boy forced to help execute the plan with his father
Jim Birges was 18 when his father masterminded a plot to extort $3 million from Harvey's Wagon Wheel Casino
A revenge plot, a domineering father and one of the largest, mostintricately booby-trapped bombsthe FBI has ever encountered are just the first few elements of new documentaryI Got Bombed at Harvey's.
On the surface, the film, which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival, is about the events of August 26, 1980, when an elaborately constructed bomb packed with over 1,000 pounds of dynamite was wheeled into Harvey's Wagon Wheel Casino in Lake Tahoe alongside a handwritten demand for $3 million.
With a ticking clock, a 33-hourpolice standoffand a mastermind convinced he couldn't be caught, the crisis gripped law enforcement and captivated the nation.
However, the film, which is told largely through the eyes of the bombmaker's now-grown son, Jim Birges, is ultimately more about trauma, loyalty and the fear that shaped a childhood.
Jim was just 18 years old when he, along with his older brother, helped his father execute a plan that could have killed hundreds of innocent people. Now, as a father himself, the film shows him grappling with the powerful family forces that led him to do what most would deem unthinkable.
With the same high-energy style and stranger-than-fiction twists that defined their SXSW breakoutThe Pez Outlaw, co-directors Amy Bandlien Storkel and Bryan Storkel balance propulsive storytelling with raw emotional access to their subject.
In a statement to PEOPLE, Amy and Bryan said they were drawn to Jim's story and the events that led to the bombing specifically because there was so much more to it than first meets the eye.
Advertisement
"As directors, we have always been drawn to the human stories buried beneath the surface ofa spectacular hook," they explained.
"Reality has a way of outperforming even the most creative fiction film with its improbable coincidences and raw emotion. That tension between truth and what feels unbelievable drives us as filmmakers to not only entertain an audience through the thrill of the story alone, but also captivate them with heart and humanity," they added.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Amy and Bryan are best known for directing and producing the Emmy-winning documentaryThe Pez Outlaw(SXSW 2022) and the Netflix original feature documentaryBitconned(2024).
The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
Recently, they were showrunners/producers for the HBO comedy seriesIt's Florida Manand the AMC true crime seriesSmugshot.Currently, they are finishing up an original four-part series onHulk Hoganfor Netflix set to premiere soon.
Read the original article onPeople
0 Comments