Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room
Directed by: Alex Gibney
Narrated by: Peter Coyote

I have always most enjoyed documentaries that manage to be both entertaining and informative; the nerd in me likes to learn new things, but the moviegoer in me also wants to see an interesting story unfold. “Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room” is a combination of both, and although some may (incorrectly) assume the subject to be dry and dull, I found it intriguing. I had caught brief news headlines back when the whole Enron scandal became public knowledge, but I really hadn’t followed it very closely. This was my chance to understand exactly how it all went down, and come to grips with the significance of this infamous American crime.

Based on the book by Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind, Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room is essentially a story about pride, greed, and deception. Enron started as a gas company, but under the guidance of the brilliant (and sneaky) Jeff Skilling, they basically created the idea of being an energy trader/middle man rather than a producer. Over time, they dreamed up all kinds of money-making schemes, from trading electricity, internet bandwidth, and even the weather. Throughout it all, the company was participating in various underhanded accounting tactics in order to show a profit, insider trading ran rampant, and they even (allegedly) sabotaged the energy grid in California to drive up the price of electricity. They also had ties to powerful political figures such as the Bush family, and pushed hard for deregulation of the gas industry.

Personally I was blown away by how far out of control the situation was able to get. A little bit of “cooking the books” only lead to the company digging itself into a deeper and deeper hole. And yet, the perception of being successful is all that matters. People thought they were brilliant and innovative businessmen, without ever asking how they managed to do it. In a lot of ways, the movie calls for more safeguards to be in place, and highlights certain moral responsibilities that should exist in the business world. Of course, ethics in business is not a new issue, but this is perhaps the most extreme case ever seen, and one worth exploring in depth. Clearly, if you give people an inch and they will take a mile.

The movie uses a lot of talking head interviews from experts and former employees, many of whom are fairly animated and interesting to listen to. There are no direct interviews with any of the major “villains” in the movie, but in a way I think this grants them a certain mystique and helps elevate the story to a near-mythic level. The movie avoids becoming too dry by mixing in TV broadcasts, archived footage, and some artful visuals of things like stock market tickers, etc. The interesting and sometimes humourous use of familiar music also helps energize the introduction of each segment of the film. More than anything though, I think the weight of the actual events keeps you watching. How far can it go? When will it end? It’s a bit like watching a train wreck.

There isn’t a lot of business mumbo-jumbo; it’s all dumbed down to laymen’s terms so this movie can be appreciated by anyone. Even if you’re already fairly well-read on the subject of Enron, however, this movie still brings a new perspective by attempting to delve into the psyche of people like Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling. I find the Enron story fascinating because it’s about talented and driven people who thought they were absolutely invincible. This is an important movie that will shock you and will hopefully serve as a grim reminder of the darker side of human nature. We need to be aware of it and try our best to counteract it, but probably the most unnerving part of this movie is the realization that it all can and will probably happen again at some point in the near future. — Sean

SCORE: