The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron (2003) Reviews

• Sad But True Story of Corporate Greed Run Wild

  jabell2003-01-06

  The Crooked E, The Unshredded Truth About Enron, was based on the true story of an Enron employee, Brian Cruver, the ink hardly dry on his MBA when he came to work for the self-proclaimed "greatest company in the world." He starts out as a wide-eyed innocent and soon becomes seduced by "the dark side of the force," becoming arrogant, deceptive, and greedy, buying a Lexus convertible, a $700 raincoat, and planning a $60,000 wedding, much to the dismay of his down-to-earth fiancee, who eventually leaves him. But as he begins to realize just what is happening there, he quickly becomes disillusioned and, by the time the company has gone belly-up, he has regained his integrity (to the point of destroying a contract that would have badly hurt the client) and his fiancee. This, incidentally, is a departure from the book, as Cruver marries about two months into his short stay at Enron. Christian Kane has the momentous job of playing Cruver, as he appears in every scene except for a prologue which shows him as a child with "Mr. Blue," Brian Dennehey. He also does the narration and has a brief song while driving his new Lexus. And he does it all with dash and aplomb. If this very handsome, talented young actor, whom the camera loves, is not a superstar in the next couple of years, there is something radically wrong. Tony winner Dennehey is outstanding as an employee with a sad story to tell, and Mike Farrell presents Ken Lay as either an eternal optimist or a bald-faced liar or some of both. I hope this will eventually come out on video or DVD as it's a keeper.

• Go, go, go then going, going, gone

  vchimpanzee2003-01-06

  This story of the Enron scandal is told from the standpoint of new employee Brian Cruver (it is never made clear whether he was a real person, but it doesn't really matter). Cruver learns quickly what is expected of Enron employees and how they can get rich. What he isn't told is that the people getting rich are doing it by falsifying numbers and making everything look good with future projected earnings. Cruver works in a department that has introduced a new kind of insurance: insurance against bankruptcy of a company or, say, one of its major customers. The question was probably never asked in real life but it is one of the many comments that seems humorous in light of the scandal's outcome: What if Enron goes bankrupt? Cruver becomes a real go-getter and, in one scene, it's really exciting to watch him pitch his product to a reluctant customer. Unfortunately, he is making it big at the expense of his relationship with his fiancee. He buys a big car, a big TV, everything he thinks he needs for happiness, with money he doesn't really have (just like Enron). He also takes his fiancee to a wild party; former strippers and skimpy dress seem all too common at this go-go-go company. Eventually, Cruver discovers that his superiors have been changing his numbers to make things look good, and while he is outraged, he doesn't really try to play the hero. Mike Farrell plays a bad guy for a change, Enron chairman Ken Lay, but he never comes across as a bad guy and is actually charming early in the movie but serious later. I was disappointed we didn't get to see him behind the scenes (the focus is really on the low-level employees); we were only shown his public face--his statements to the press and his speeches to employees--plus one scene with a whistleblower. I thought he did well in the role. An outstanding performance (as usual) was given by Brian Dennehy, who appears all too briefly as one of the top Enron employees and a friend of Cruver's father (though, ironically, he didn't seem to be behind Cruver's hiring). Two words you don't normally hear on network TV are spoken--one by the Enron CEO to the press, so apparently it is public record that he said it. Otherwise, that would have been gratuitous. (The word is repeated by a shocked Enron employee watching on TV). The other dirty word is spoken by Dennehy in a private conversation, though once the barrier has been broken, I guess anything goes. Overall, the language is not too bad. If you have been on Mars for two years the following is a SPOILER: Eventually everything at Enron must come crashing down. There are suspicions at first, some voiced by an old friend of Cruver's on Wall Street. Dennehy explains to Cruver, in that conversation where he used the bad word, that he knew about something that wasn't right. POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR ANYONE: In fact, Dennehy was transferred to a less desirable job, though he still believes he is going to prison, apparently because he didn't really press the issue. As the bottom drops out of everything, most of the employees shown in the movie have a lot to lose. DEFINITE SPOILERS: One unbelievably perky employee with a Southern accent welcomed the new employees early in the movie and can't be sad no matter what, and she is the one who tells everyone to leave when it's all over, still just as perky as ever, and she is one of the few who gets to stay. But don't worry about Cruver: at the very end, he still has his wife, and he realizes that's really the important thing.

• quite impressive

  amiee272003-01-06

  ok, well, theres really no way to give a spoiler for this movie, cause, unless you've been living in a hole for the last year or so, you know enron went under and why. however, this movie actually makes it pretty interesting and breathes life into what could have been a boring story about how to get by the SEC with accounting tricks. christian kane's acting is amazing in this movie and is truly above tv movie quality. the only real problem (in my eyes) is the slight level of predictablility in the romantic aspect of the story. the ending could have been a little more interesting, however this is no fault of the actors, just mediocre writing at this point, however overall, the movie held my interest and was actually rather good my rating: four of five stars

• So this is what it's all about.......

  mandyattwell2003-01-05

  Thought this film was reasonable,it gave me a better understanding of what really happened....and i would suggest to anyone who is not clear as to the reason for Enrons demise,that they watch this film and get wise. I will be buying Brian Cruver's book as i think he should at least make a little cash out of all this!

• Greed is bad.

  Go_Blue_992003-01-06

  This movie is a decently entertaining depiction of the fall of Enron, which was one of our nation's leading companies. It's based on the point of view of a recent University of Texas MBA grad, who gets hired in the bankruptcy division of Enron. For people who didn't follow the scandal, the movie does a solid job of illustrating why greed led to Enron's demise. With shareholders and upper management demanding better numbers (and thus better stock value), everyone was under pressure to cook the books. There is some comedy in the movie (the Arthur Anderson audit team is always playing nerf basketball or computer golf; one of the characters gets a job at Worldcom after being laid off at Enron). However, being a TV movie, there is not much time for character depth. Did anyone really feel for the woman who lost her college savings in Enron stock? Also, I understand the producers were looking for star power, but Shannon Elizabeth did not belong in this movie. She is far too pretty to be playing a down-to-earth farm girl who hates the glamorous life her fiance brings her. Overall, this is a watch able movie for those that are interested in business.