Ricky D
Could have been a great documentary, but it fabricated a false narrative about the daring of a whistleblower instead on the magnitude of the conspiracy.
Markopolos is both the writer and hero of the story while constantly draping himself in false self-deprecation. “I’m not a hero,” he says many times, although he mugs for the camera at the congressional hearing and accepts the award for his tenacious pursuit to expose the truth.
It got tiring hearing about his fear for his life, a subject for which no evidence was presented. Moreover, we never learned why the WSJ never published his story…or what support there was for a higher level of conspiracy.
The documentary showed graphics of the many tentacles implying (or proving?) a conspiracy, but no names or organizations were directly implicated. I give this a one-star for writing and direction, three because of the subject matter. That being said, I’m obsessed with the Madoff scandal and, if you are too, it’s worth stomaching Markopolos self-aggrandizement to learn more about the story.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
04/21/25
Full Review
philip s
Bernie Madoff is one of the most hated individuals in the history of the United States. He is so hated because of a crime that cost countless others their entire lives. Now, in the documentary, "Chasing Madoff" audiences see exactly the devastation that Madoff brought not only on single individuals and families, but also potentially on the entire economic system of the United States. And all it took to reveal this was one single person.
Harry Markopolous tells his story in this stunning work, of how he came to discover the massive financial fraud being covered by Madoff. It all began a decade before Madoff was eventually arrested at 8:30 in the morning on December 11, 2008. In the course of his story, Markopolous tells viewers how scared he was to really delve into the case and bring it to light. He explains that another whistleblower had been beaten and left for dead because of that person's attempt to uncover wrongdoings. That alone puts this real life story up there with some of the best legal thrillers by the likes of author John Grisham. Viewers also see how Madoff actually covered up his crime for so long before finally being caught. That too, made this such an enthralling work, as it makes one wonder how he got away with it for so long. That leads to another eye opening aspect of the documentary.
What's really eye opening in this documentary isn't so much the massive extent of Madoff's Ponzi scheme. But that as a result of its discovery, members of the SEC and the federal government started pointing fingers at each other, sniping at one another like a bunch of children. Seeing this behavior in the context of the Madoff case serves to prove exactly why Americans are so fed up with Wall Street and the people charged with monitoring its behaviors. While it is a documentary, it's not exactly presented in the standard mold of a documentary. Through interviews with those who lost their money thanks to Madoff, and the people sniffing out Madoff's trail, those who are really interested in this massive financial fraud scheme will really find themselves enthralled by the whole presentation.
"Chasing Madoff" is one of the most gripping real life dramas in modern history. It's the kind of stuff that simply cannot be made up, to use a phrase. But it's definitely the stuff that can be made into stories. It's also a perfect documentary for college level finance and business classes. It serves as a reminder of everything that can happen as a result of one person's misdeeds. Most of all (bad joke here), it serves as a reminder that for criminals on any level, crime simply doesn't pay. Anyone who followed the madoff case remembers that as a result of his crimes, he will likely die in prison, having been sentenced to nearly two hundred years in prison for his crimes. The sad reality of all of this is that while Madoff may never see the light of day again outside prisn walls, those who lost everything will likely never regain their sense of trust among so much more. All of this in mind, Chasing Madoff is one of those documentaries that will alsways have a niche audience. But it will most definitely never be forgotten.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
Audience Member
A bit repetitive in order to reach it's length, but a powerful indictment of our watchdog agencies.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/17/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Will not bore you with boring finance talk but also sheds little light in how Madoff pulled it off. Harry Marcopolos' frustration over not being believed is understandable. His fear of car bombs and assassination attempts seems paranoid, the film shows no evidence anyone was even aware he was a man on a mission.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
02/24/23
Full Review
Audience Member
this is quite remarkable, the fact that this guy stole so much and conned so many people who knew banking incredible.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/16/23
Full Review
Audience Member
A nervously gripping documentary. Some of the negative comments from other critics duly point out that the film does not entirely focus on Bernie Madoff, this ignores the fact - which should be obvious from the title - that the film is supposed to be focused on the whistleblowers and their story, in particular, chief whistleblower Harry Markopolos, who felt his decade long pursuit of Madoff put his and his family's lives in constant jeopardy. That the SEC could consistently ignore the well substantiated claims made by Markolopolos and colleagues, not to mention the mere handful of prosecutions that came about, absolutely beggars belief.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
01/12/23
Full Review
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