The Mystery of D.B. Cooper is a fascinating true-crime documentary that is as perplexing in its mystery as it is entertaining in its execution.

It tells the story of the only unsolved case of air piracy in U.S. history, when in 1971 a man named D.B. Cooper hijacked a 727 and then jumped out of the plane with a large ransom in his possession. Neither Cooper, nor the money, was found.

Director John Dower (Live Forever) takes us on a deep dive into not only the case itself, but the various theories over who D.C. Cooper really was. The gamut of suspects includes: an old man in Florida who confesses on his deathbed; a man who underwent a sex change operation; a Vietnam war hero with a passion for skydiving; and a loving uncle who one day disappeared into the ether.

The case for each of these suspects is as intriguing and plausible as the next, and Dower presents them via engrossing reenactments that are enhanced with witness testimony.

Of course the truth is never found, which makes the D.B. Cooper phenomenon all that more intriguing. That Cooper became a cult figure in the ‘70s says much about how society has no qualms elevating a clearly insane man to hero status, even though no one knows who he actually is.

The mystery of Cooper’s identity is, of course, of much intrigue, and in Dower’s hands proves to be as fun a true-crime story as there is. Dower has presented a film that pieces together various storytelling techniques with intoxicating skill and charm to spare, and while doing so proves that we live in a weird, wild world, where a daring plane hijacking has spawned a mythology rich in mystery and worthy of obsession.

The Mystery of D.B. Cooper doesn’t provide answers, but it sure does have a great time in the search for them.