Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.5

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 19, 2008

A disturbing look at corporate America where greed is king, Alex Gibney’s “Enron-The Smartest Guys In The Room” (2005) won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary in 2006. The film reveals a chilling account of events that shook the financial markets not too long ago. Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

It is difficult to tell what is more disturbing – the fact that Enron, a company name which by now has become synonymous with greed and arrogance, managed to fool so many financial players while committing crime after crime, or, the fact that the current financial crisis our country is facings sounds and looks very familiar. And I mean very familiar.

But let’s start from the beginning.

Enron's world: up is down and right is left.

Enron as we know it appeared on the business map in early 1985 when it acquired the tiny Houston Natural Gas. It quickly began playing with natural resources and with the arrival of CEO Ken Lay it slowly began climbing the Fortune 500 ladder. By 1996 it had the attention of all major stock players. Shortly after, a much publicized friendship between Ken Lay and the Bush family convinced everyone that Enron was here to stay. And grow big.

In early 2001, however, Daniel Scotto, a financial analyst with a particular interest in all things Enron, published a disturbing report which signaled the beginning of the end. The company’s shady dealings started to surface and the financial markets grew increasingly nervous. Old friends became fierce enemies and the empire everyone believed Enron was slowly began to crumble. The CES stepped in and the rest is history. One of the greatest corporate meltdowns in American history became a reality.

What does Alex Gibney’s Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room tell us that we do not already know? Put aside all of the names which you are unlikely to remember after you finish the film and…a lot more than you could probably imagine. It reveals a sickening corporate environment that is a lot more disturbing than the fate of Enron, which this film apparently chronicles. It also links some of America’s greatest financial institutions into a criminal scheme designed to exploit the financial wealth of our nation in a shocking analysis impossible not to ponder with a great deal of concern.

Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room also addresses America’s fascination with greed; particularly, the type of greed which does not recognize laws, rules, or anything else that stands in its way. It also focuses on those who worship greed – bankers, stock traders, and politicians. Finally, it shows how greed can create criminals far more powerful and far more ignorant of our laws than you could imagine. In effect, it shows the dark side of the American dream.

There is a very specific reason why I recently went back to rewatch this marvelous documentary - the meltdown in the financial sector, which has now spilled in every major economy worldwide. I thought that there were plenty of similarities between Enron’s arrogant behavior, the politicians that were linked to it, and how quickly and decisively its end came. I also thought that a lot of the revelations provided by ex-Enron officials were quite similar to what we’ve been hearing from the few special reports that managed to evade Washington’s attention and reach the TV networks. I also thought that there were some very, very familiar players (think banks), who contrary to their words did assist Enron’s officials in their criminal acts and are now amongst the most “concerned” financial parties that, not surprisingly, tricked the US government into bailing them out.

From a purely technical point of view, Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room is a terrifically executed documentary with a very specific goal and plenty of factual data to support its case. It is narrated brilliantly, with a great sense of pacing, allowing those unfamiliar with the ins and outs of corporate culture to easily grasp what is of importance. Finally, it bridges together a variety of floating sub-topics, which appear to be as fascinating as the main analysis is.

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-2, and granted a 1080p transfer Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

As a documentary feature Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room offers a great deal of pre-recorded footage where resolution and quality vary. Still, the overall degree of contrast here is solid, the color-scheme intact, and clarity as best as it could be. Compression artifacts are held to a minimum as well and I did not detect any disturbing patterns of edge-enhancement or macroblocking. From a purely technical point of view it is extremely difficult to note what portions of the footage that is offered on this disc is intentional and what isn't (aside from the original interviews recorded by HD Films). Still, the overall presentation and the manner in which all bits are put together are absolutely fantastic. In fact, given that Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room is a pure documentary feature I am indeed very pleased by the Blu-ray treatment provided by Magnolia Pictures. (Note: This is a Region-Free release which you will be able to play on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1. As this is a predominantly dialog-driven feature it is virtually impossible to distinguish the two tracks from one another. I certainly experimented with the two switching during specific scenes where there was slightly more activity than usual but frankly I could not detect a sizable difference. This being said, the actual dialog is crystal clear and very easy to follow (production bits). The quality of the authentic footage tends to vary from source to source and obviously it affects the audio information it contains as well. By large, however, I was very pleased with its quality and never had to rely on the subtitles to follow the progression of the story. To sum it all up the audio quality both of the tracks mentioned above deliver is solid. Optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles are provided.

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The main supplemental piece here is an audio commentary with writer-director Alex Gibney where he addresses a great deal of the technical issues his film was exposed to. He also offers an elaborate analysis on specific events from the film. In addition to the commentary the Blu-ray disc also offers the HDNet special "Higher Definition" where Alex Gibney, Bethany McLean, and Peter Elkind continue their deconstruction of the main feature. I assume that by now most of you with HD programming have probably seen this particular piece as it has been shown on HDNet more than a dozen times. It follow a simple formula, much like most other HDNet exclusives, and very much resembles the format Charlie Rose favors for his show at PBS.

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Aside from Anne Sundberg and Ricki Stern's gut-wrenching The Devil Came on Horseback Alex Gibney's Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room is the best documentary feature I have seen during the last ten years. Period. It is eloquently told, terrifically supplanted with factual information, and incredibly disturbing. It unveils a nightmare of paramount proportions which I must contend is very indicative of America's fascination with power and wealth. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed courtesy of Magnolia Pictures reveals solid basics. The audio and video treatments are indeed of good quality allowing the documentary to be seen in a terrific presentation.