Unraveled

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05/23/2014 If you can let go of your natural distaste for someone like this and just watch it open minded and without predisposed ideas which is tricky it's actually quite compelling in how sad a story it all is. Sad for all he affected as ell as himself. If you don't get that point of the whole thing, we lose our grasp on how this kind of sh!t happens See more 04/24/2014 He seems only sorry and remorseful because he got caught. 20 years in jail is a little lenient for a Ponzi scheme this size. Dreier probably deserved at least 40 years considering Madoff received 150 years for the same crime. The documentary is interesting overall: He deserves a little bit of credit for explaining every detail on camera, unlike Madoff who decided not to talk. Showing him under house arrest in his Manhattan penthouse, and showing him spending other people’s money on expensive toys is a bit spitting on the victims’ faces. It is hard to find any pity for this crook. See more 01/02/2014 Does one have to dignify a criminal with this movie? See more 10/19/2013 The financial crisis of 2008 and the ensuing Ponzi scheme unravelings in 2009 make for very compelling stories, lessons, and character studies. In unraveled, director Marc Simon looks at the case of Marc Dreier, whose case seemingly embodies all of the above. Dreier, a supposedly hugely successful New York attorney, was found to have engaged in a $400 million dollar fraud that had him bizarrely impersonating, and hiring others to impersonate for him. While an interesting premise, Simon fails to really seize the opportunity. Filmed in the 60 days prior to his sentencing, this was a unique opportunity to paint an intimiate portrait of a man that was deeply torn. Instead, the film gives him far too much leeway. Drier is his own narrator, and seemingly dictates the flow of the film. Good documentaries take a more objective look, and force the subject out of their comfort zone. In Unraveled, that comfort zone is never pushed. Dreier seems remourceful yet prone to excuses and rationalizing, never being conforted to the contrary. This results in a documentary that feels far too safe, and devoid of the sort of insight one would expect. We get plenty of Dreier's rationalizing and humanizing, yet never fully get to the heart of what went wrong, the intimate details of the fraud, nor a profound change in character of Dreier. An overall bland and disappointing effort. 2.5/5 Stars See more 10/15/2013 An arresting picture of a financial criminal that dares to ask the right questions. It takes enormous risks in suggesting that Mark Dreier isn't a bad guy, just someone presented with an opportunity, and claiming that people presented with a similar opportunity would do the same thing. It pays off well. See more 07/27/2013 I don't get it. The guy is convicted of massive fraud but they allow him to continue to live in luxury until he is sentenced? Throw the bum in jail until he's sentenced. See more Read all reviews

Unraveled

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