A fascinating documentary that tracked the rise and fall of the powerful lobbyist Jack Abramoff who at one time was funneling huge funds to help bank roll most of the Republican Party’s key players and a few minor Democrats too. It was ill-gained money that he wrangled out of Indian Tribes and the Government of the Marianas Islands by charging them extortionate fees for pressing their causes in Washington by foul means and fair, although evidently not much of the latter.
It’s a powerful story that cannot fail to exasperate and anger even the most cynical of us, but the most shocking part is not the fact that Abramoff was corrupt but that the whole structure of our government is fundamentally so engrained in corruption with seemingly not even a glimmer of a prospect of it ever really changing.
R.T.V. If you liked Alex Gibney’s previous stunning expose on Enron, the Oscar nominated ‘The Smartest Men in The Room’ , then you’ll love this one too. Riveting facts , well presented and without any of the preachiness of Michael Moore.
P.S. Mr. Abramoff ended in up in jail, and disgraced Texas Congressmen Tom Delay ended up on TV’s ‘Dancing With The Stars’ . I’m not sure which punishment is worse.
P.P.S. This Blog was originally published in May 2010 when the movie was released, and is now repeated here to link up with ‘Casino Jack’ the feature film on the same subject that has just now been released and also now reviewed by me.
