Investigative

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

This was not what I expected. I thought it would be a predictable leftist documentary screed against the evils of capitalism as represented by the biggest corporate scam ever -- Enron. Instead it was a very intelligent, subtle and fascinating protrait of the three principle leaders of Enron, and how their dream came back to kill them. It does a fabulous job of making the complexities of this intricate business case understandable, and the personalities behind the events real. And make no mistake. The disaster stems from the personalities. What I learned: Enron did deliver some great innovations, some of which will likely have to be invented again. But they also unleashed a company culture where competition and greed was paramount and not tempered by any other value, and in the end this unbridled greed ate them all up and destroyed the fortunes of many innocents. It's a great film and should be shown in every business school.

-- KK

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
Directed by Alex Gibney
2006, 110 min.
$14, DVD

Available from Amazon

Rentable from Netflix

|