All tagged True Story
Bernie Madoff, the former chair of the NASDAQ stock market, literally defrauded 4,800 people out of $64.8 billion dollars, and he did it by operating a simple Ponzi scheme. The level of public trust that he was operating under cannot be expressed. It would be like if the President colluded with Russia. That big.
Invoking elements of great crime films (that also showcase young men getting over their head in illegal dealings), War Dogs is a solid if hyperbolic film that asks the question, “How does this shit keep happening?”
I am probably missing out on a lot of information by not having read the book, but I can firmly say that that novel is much more interesting and informational than this film. Skloot recognizes the issues surrounding medical discovery wherein black subjects and innovators aren’t given the credit they deserve.
Often it feels like Franco is putting us on, trying to play a child killer while hiding an insidious smirk behind the blank expression he wears for much of the film. Hill does his best, but the role isn't as meaty as past supporting performances in "The Wolf of Wall Street" or even "Moneyball." He's more subdued and anal, and it's not a look that Hill can pull off.
