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Friday, November 5, 2010
MOVIE REVIEW
Client 9: The Rise And Fall Of Eliot Spitzer
The Empire (State) Strikes Back: Down Goes Spitzer!
Silda Wall Spizer guides her husband Eliot from the podium after a press
conference on March 10, 2008 to announce Mr. Sptizer's resignation as New York's
governor.
Magnolia Pictures
by
Omar P.L. Moore/PopcornReel.com
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Friday,
November 5, 2010
Alex Gibney, who these days is as busy as Steven
Soderbergh and Clint Eastwood, has yet
another documentary on the big screen in 2010 ("Casino
Jack", "Freakonomics") with "Client 9: The Rise And Fall Of Eliot Spitzer",
which opened today in New York and San Francisco among several other U.S.
cities.
"Client 9" revisits the 2008 sex scandal of New York governor Eliot Spitzer, who
was the sworn enemy of both Wall Street corruption and prostitution rings as the
state's attorney general and top state official. Mr. Gibney operates from
the middle and pulls the two opposites of white collar crime and relentless
criminal prosecution toward a furious collision course as he tells the story of
how a fearless advocate fell on his own sword.
Mr. Gibney, who wrote, narrated and directed the documentary, uses Mr. Spitzer
largely to tell his own story, though avoids the most lurid details about the
former governor's pecadilloes. Mr. Spitzer looks disembodied as he talks
about his zeal and type A vigor to bring Wall Street's masters of the universe
to justice and about playing a role in a Greek tragedy of sorts.
"Client 9" refers to the pseudonym Mr. Spitzer was given by a now-defunct escort
service he frequented in Washington, D.C. and New York while governor.
Typical of Mr. Gibney's documentaries is the chapter-style delineating each
slice of Mr. Spitzer's turbulent and triumphant time in the spotlight, as are
the music defining the times and personalities of those chronicled. Cat
Power's opening credit sequence rendition of Frank Sinatra's "New York" is worth
the price of admission alone.
Rich with interviews of Mr. Spitzer's biggest financial foes and political
enemies, "Client 9" is an often fascinating and riveting account of human nature
and its multiplicities. Archival footage and documents from news media
accounts speak volumes, as does at least one interview subject who characterizes
New York City in ways its residents will agree with. The director takes
diverse players and transforms them into lively characters with unique insights
and revelations, each shot in a distinctive way.
Psychological profiles often inform the documentary landscape in which Mr.
Gibney mines, whether it's Jeff Skilling in "Enron", Hunter S. Thompson in
"Gonzo" or Jack Abramoff in "Casino Jack". Each
of them are men of obsession and passion, first and foremost, over whatever
their daytime (or nighttime) occupations are or were. The same is also
true of Mr. Spitzer in all of his complexity. In this kind of framework
it's not just what Mr. Gibney depicts, but how he conveys it that makes him
America's leading political documentary filmmaker.
If you are well-versed in the tabloidization of Mr. Spitzer's sex-capades,
"Client 9" will still be a highly enjoyable experience. Regardless of
whether you are thoroughly familiar with the Spitzer sex scandal ad nauseum you
will be entertained by Mr. Gibney's stylish, thoughtful account of politics,
power and personalities.
"Client 9: The Rise And Fall Of Eliot Spitzer" is rated R by the Motion
Picture Association Of America for some sexual material, nudity and language.
The film's running time is one hour and 57 minutes.
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