Born in 1930 to a black father and Cherokee mother, Doris Payne has been a thief since age 16. She grew up poor, but her beauty and regal manners got her into the world’s finest jewelry stores — where she invariably palmed the best pieces.

Directors Matthew Pond and Kirk Marcolina wisely keep this unrepentant charmer, in her 80s during filming, on-camera, save for when they’re interviewing fascinated writers and fed-up prosecutors.

But there’s sadness here — not for the stores, whose concerns are brushed off, but for the circumstances that created Doris, and the way her life has kept love at a distance. Much time is devoted to a trial that could result in her dying in prison. Still, it’s obvious that Pond and Marcolina can’t resist the woman, any more than she can resist yet another heist.