Awaiting a pending assault trial, Rodney “Rod” Bonnifield confesses to bail bondsman Carlos Rocha that he is the notorious hijacker DB Cooper. Bonnifield claims to have details never made public about the unsolved hijacking and, most of all, claims to know the location of DB Cooper’s hidden money. Seeing the opportunity to unravel a fifty-year mystery, Rocha considers the story to be the opportunity of a lifetime in this dramatized documentary. But how can we verify the information? Is Bonnifield’s story too good to be true? Director T.J. Regan’s I Am DB Cooper dives deep into Bonnifield’s claims and examines the life or lies of a man convinced he’s DB Cooper.
For the uninitiated, the infamous tale of DB Cooper starts with him as a passenger on a flight from Portland to Seattle. He then hijacks the plane and ransoms it for $200,000 from the Federal Government. As of the date of the hijacking in 1971, it is the only unsolved hijacking in the United States; unless Bonnifield’s claims prove true. The overall narrative shifts between dramatizations of Bonnifield’s life leading up to the James Bond-esque airplane heist and Rocha’s quest to verify answers to this legendary cold case.
Regan crafts a stylish and entertaining documentary worthy of the fashionable crime fantasies built into the consciousness of DB Cooper fanatics. The dramatizations are told entirely through the lens of Bonnifield’s claims, allowing screenwriters Regan and Sharmila Sahni to get the audience to catch the same sense of adventure that captivates Rocha. The filmmaker wants the audience to want Bonnifield to be Cooper, and it makes for a documentary with plenty of style, twists, and a memorable climax.
“…Bonnifield confesses to bail bondsman Carlos Rocha that he is the notorious hijacker DB Cooper.”
Admittedly, the performances and relevance of the dramatizations throughout I Am DB Cooper range from scene to scene. Still, Bonnifield’s purpose is evident throughout. His claims either cast suspicions or corroborate stories, depending on the viewer’s take.
Giving the classic 1-10 rating for a film like I Am DB Cooper proves difficult. The climax and big reveals are phenomenal. They’re the kinds of moments that make you watch documentaries like this or cause you to dive into theories on the Zodiac Killer or the identity of Banksy. It’s informative and sweet entertainment shrouded in reality — a place where truth is much stranger than fiction.
However, the journey to the “WOW” moment sometimes loses its footing and spends too much time adapting Bonnifield’s story into dramatizations. But it’s all purpose-driven. Regan almost overemphasizes adaptation to pay off the big reveal in literally the final scene. It’s the kind of payoff that makes moments that drag on the first viewing more enjoyable on the second or third.
Sometimes the journey is more important than the destination. With I Am DB Cooper, the destination is what makes the journey worth every minute. Fans of The Imposter or the DB Cooper mythos will find the film engaging, while newcomers to the story of skyway robbery will still have plenty to enjoy. The Black Keys-esque bluesy rock soundtrack adds a nice ring to the accounts of a stylish 1970s heist and only fuels the panache of Cooper’s legacy. While imperfect, the journey is enticing, and the final scene is well worth it.
"…a stylish and entertaining documentary..."
