Best Movies by Farr

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room Poster
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room Poster

Released

2005

Runtime

110

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

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What's it About

Alex Gibney's award-winning film profiles the astounding tale of corporate larceny and greed known as the Enron scandal. One of the most outrageous, outsize examples of big business hubris on record, the film focuses on the three players who loomed largest in the debacle: Chairman Kenneth Lay, CEO Jeffrey Skilling, and CFO Andrew Fastow. Needless to say, none of the three comes out smelling like a rose.

Why we love it

This riveting documentary reviews in minute detail one company's spectacular rise and fall, delving into the labyrinthine schemes and self-deceptions that helped line the pockets of Enron's top management, while hoodwinking Wall Street with impressive short-term results essentially built on an elaborate Ponzi scheme. When this accounting house of cards fell, so did a lot of innocent (and not-so-innocent) employees, along with a company that only recently had been the darling of investors. A jaw-dropping tale, all the more scary and fascinating because it's true.