Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)

Director:

Alex Gibney

Writers:

Peter Elkind (writer)
Alex Gibney (writer)

Release Date:

9 March 2006 (Netherlands)

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

Come see where all your money went.

Plot:

A documentary about the Enron corporation, its faulty and corrupt business practices, and how they led to its fall.

Plot Keywords:

Enron | Greed | Corporation | California | Accounting

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Peter Coyote	...	Narrator
Joe Lingold	...	Energy Trader
Michael Lugenbuehl	...	Cliff Baxter
Mark Salzberg	...	Croupiers

Runtime:

USA:110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

USA:Not Rated | Australia:M

Company:

Jigsaw Productions

Quotes:

Kenneth Lay: [Q&A session with employees] All right, we are down to questions. And I got a few up here.
[reads question from the floor]
Kenneth Lay: 'I would like to know if you are on crack, if so that would explain a lot. If not, you may want to start because it's going to be a long time before we trust you again.'

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Wargames: The Dead Code (2008) (V)

Fascinating documentary - never a dull moment - too bad the trial results are missing

A very interesting expose on the greed, hubris, lies, etc. that brought Enron down. This film is well-done and digs up a lot of dirt. The PBS viewing showed a little clip after the film which discussed the strange trial results, which was probably the biggest problem with the film - it pretty much ends with the bankruptcy of enron and doesn't show much about the trials, since they took place later, although they would make for a great inclusion. To me, the most incredible part of the film is that fact that these guys would stand up every day and tell bold-faced lies to the employees, the government, the investors, and make it all sound good. They had to be thinking in the back of their head "it's all going to come crashing down someday"...