Colin Sheridan: Louvre thieves didn't just steal some rocks, they stole France's national pride

It reads like a blockbuster movie, but the Louvre heist raises real questions about France’s most cherished cultural institutions, writes Colin Sheridan

The basket lift used by thieves at the Louvre last Sunday. It took them seven minutes to steal the jewels. Picture: AP Photo/Alexander Turnbull

There's always been a certain romance to a heist. From The Thomas Crown Affair to Ocean’s Eleven and Gangster Granny, the thieves move with an elegance the rest of us reserve for weddings and funerals.

The plan is neat, the timing perfect, the suits pressed. Nobody bleeds. Someone, probably wearing leather gloves, says something profoundly witty as a diamond necklace drops into a velvet bag.