Review of The Wizard of Lies (2017) by Carley E — 22 May 2017

The story of Bernie Madoff (played by Robert De Niro), the man responsible for the largest Ponzi scheme in history, defrauding investors out of approximately $65 bn.

Heaps of potential - I was expecting something along the lines of Enron - The Smartest Guys In the Room, but dramatized. However, this doesn't come close to living up to it.

This movie could have been a great exposition on what drives people to commit crimes of such a magnitude, especially a person who was once the paragon of ethics and prudence and who was revered in his industry. Just the transition from law-abiding citizen to master criminal would have been fascinating to watch, not to mention how he put his criminal plans into operation.

But, no, nothing like that. No transition and very little on the criminal operation. The focus is almost entirely on Madoff and his family during the trial and his incarceration. While the wife and children deserve our empathy, by focusing on the private life of Bernie Madoff he is made out to be more of a victim than a villain, which is a preposterous thought.

Thus there is very little engagement, as the central character is certainly not worth supporting. This generally makes for a fairly flat experience.

There are some interesting intrigues and sub-plots and these are tellingly felt in the last few scenes, as Madoff's crimes impact his family.

Overall: watchable, but could have been so much better.