Peneflix MOVIE REVIEWS BY PENEFLIX
Mythology, its lore and gore, Greek, Roman, Biblical has had a lifelong, lustful fascination for me; the gods interfere with us mortals, toying with us, impregnating us then withdraw, and watch with divine gratification the theatre of the absurd they have produced and directed, vociferously proclaiming, “what fools these mortals be”!
Viewing Alex Gibney’s Documentary (a term I use gingerly; fearing the subjective clouding the objective) about the fallen angel of the righteous, Eliot Spitzer, I fought but lost the battle of mythological and biblical references to this tainted, permanently tarnished man.
Oh, he sculpted himself as “David” slaying the “Goliaths” of Wall Street: toppling the temples of greed, the dens of iniquity, fraud and excessively wild benefits. As Attorney General of New York, banks, brokerage firms, insurance companies fell victim to his feverish, fertile and unrelenting attacks; his slingshot lethal. Merrill Lynch, Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, Smith Barney are a few that cumulatively paid over a billion dollars in fines for inflating stock prices. Some of these “Goliaths” are “gone with the wind” but so has the sanctimonious sinner, no longer “David”, “The Sheriff of Wall Street, “Eliot Ness”, just fallible Eliot, with feet of clay and a mind below the belt.
From a privileged pedigree, Eliot, born June 10th, 1959; was the promised child, graduating from Princeton in 1981, Harvard Law in 1984 (he attained a perfect score on his LSAT); more than an oyster the world was his chalice, filled with ambrosia, libation fit for the gods. And he imbibed; from Attorney General to Governor of New York his chariot was escalating at meteoric speed, destined for the political pinnacle peak……the Presidency. But like Icarus, he ignored the commandments applicable to all mortals, flew too close to the sun, and was charred, cast out out of paradise and hence will live forever with the sobriquet “Client 9”.
He was client 9 in the register of the VIP Emperor’s Club. A Club consisting of 50 prostitutes, the rates for one hour ranging from $1076-$5921; sites in New York, Paris, Washington, Miami and London. How ironic that he prosecuted two prostitution rings as head of the Organized Crime Force.
The Documentary is interesting, not as pejorative as a Michael Moore film. But there is a sleaze factor that permeates the message. Spitzer’s enemies: Hank Greenberg (ex AIG CEO), Kenneth Langone (former Director of NYSE, and co-founder of Home Depot) and Richard Grasso ( former Chairman of the NYSE) are Herculean in their hatred of the dethroned Spitzer. The comic relief, the court jester, Cecil “CC” Suwal, the 23 year old girl who was in charge of operations for the Emperor’s Club was “Puckish”, giggling at her rise and demise.
Eliot Spitzer whose flame burned with Olympian vehemence plays himself in a documentary that leaves little doubt in the eye and mind of the beholder that his “Achilles Heel” alas, was only a few centimeters higher.
TWO & 1/2 STARS!!
For Now………………..Peneflix
Once again I am off to a faraway land. Please, as before, give me your “views” and must “reviews”. With gratitude!!!!!!!!
As always, a delight to read.
As you are a constant delight to know!!!!!!!!!