Review: The longer I remain in the working world, the more I’m sure that the qualities needed to “make it to the top” are only a shade away from what would be considered mental illness under any other circumstances. Whitacre’s story, which would probably be rejected by film studios if it wasn’t certifiably non-fiction, doesn’t do anything to disabuse me of that notion.
Matt Damon does a terrific job with the lead role of a man who rose up the corporate ladder quickly because of his ambition and brilliance, and became caught up in a situation he wasn’t anywhere close to prepared to handle. The stream-of-consciousness narration puts a fine point on the mentality of a middle-level executive whose mind is working like a car speeding down the highway with its brakes cut.
The banality of the million-dollar criminal activity is astonishing, as well as the complexity the Feds face in trying to get their star witness to cooperate with the investigation. The efforts by the agents (Scott Bakula and Joel McHale) in dealing with Whiacre provide most of the film’s black humor.
This one is definitely worth a rental, if only to appreciate just how hard it is to prosecute white-collar crime.
My Rating: 8/10 (“Really Liked It”)
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