THE MYSTERY Of DB COOPER
US, 2020, 85 minutes, Colour.
Directed by John Dower.
Most of us enjoy crime investigation – just looking at the range of channels on Foxtel reminds us that we all seem to be sleuths at heart, enjoy the police procedural investigations, have our favourite detectives, or are fans of investigations of real-life crime.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the crimes of DB Cooper were popular and mysterious. There was a feature film in 1981 featuring Robert Duvall and Treat Williams. But, the point was, that nobody knew who DB Cooper really was. Actually, that’s not quite exact. There were various theories as to who Cooper was, the FBI pursuing them, some of the claims very persuasive, others excluded for contradictory evidence. Even some of the money was found by the Columbia River in 1980, raising even more questions. But, eventually, the FBI closed the case. No identification of DB Cooper.
This documentary reminds audiences of the audacious crime that took place almost half a century ago. A seemingly ordinary citizen boarded a flight in the Northwest US, made contact with one of the flight attendants (who was interviewed for this film as well as one of the pilots). He seemed polite but made a demand for $200,000. The plane landed, the money was supplied, it took off again – and with surprising audacity, the man, giving the name DB Cooper, parachuted out over the Northwestern forests.
Writer-director, John Dower, takes up the investigations, interviewing various people who had made claims that they knew who DB Cooper actually was. John Dower has a strong reputation for making 17 documentaries over two decades. He certainly involves his audiences here, listing a number of potential candidates, tracking down contacts and relatives, also making contact with the author of a book about Cooper and the hijacking and his disappearance.
The number that John Dower chooses to explore is five. Those who enjoy research might find it interesting to check with the Wikipedia entry on Cooper – with 13 possibilities, including the five from this film, listed with details of the investigation, arguments for and against.
We are introduced to a number of people who are very strong in their claims. One claimant, the widow of Duane Weber, is certain that her husband, who had served time, made a deathbed confession. The probability of a man who did a copycat hijacking and robbery, Ronald Floyd McCoy? Jr, is enhanced by his resemblance to the witness sketch. McCoy? was caught soon after the Denver hijacking but escaped from prison. The name, Cooper, was an advantage in the suggestion that the criminal was Lynn Doyle Cooper, his niece giving testimony about him, his past and plans to do similar kinds of escapades.
The most surprising of the five nominees in this film is Barbara Dayton, born Robert Dayton, recreational pilot, merchant Marine an army service, post-war working with explosives.
The director uses a deal of archival footage to help with the dramatics of the incident, footage of the forest terrain, footage of some of the suspects from the period. Because of the situation and the claims, the talking heads included throughout keep audience interest. And there are some re-creation of characters and situations.
Of course, the word mystery is in the title – and so, the emphasis is on investigation because there has been no solution.
