If I were to name a favourite film company it would probably be Dogwoof.
This is because its documentaries are so consistently well made. I have learned more about world affairs from Dogwoof in the last couple of years than any other form of media.
And in Client 9 I have again been given another dimension on a story of which I already had a patchy insight.
Eliot Spitzer appeared briefly in the excellent film The Inside Job which was out a couple of months ago.
But I have to admit I had no intimate knowledge of his massive impact as New York's Attorney General, his graduation to governor and his undoing in a sex scandal.
As a newspaperman, however, I can now see that it must have been the story of the century in the Big Apple.
Director Alex Gibney and his team have done a grand job of getting all of the key interviews here.
Obviously, Spitzer himself plays a major role but it is important that they nailed down words from his enemies, particularly those on Wall Street who he had targeted with such vigour.
Also, they have words from those in the agency which ran high class prostitutes. The FBI investigation into the agency precipitated Spitzer's downfall.
But was the inquiry over eager and was there an attempt to deliberately target the man who had done so much to reign in Wall Street and tried to clean up New York?
The case is compelling and well argued.
But there are flaws in this film and it doesn't reach the standard of Gasland and Food Inc because it presumes knowledge.
Thus, I was often a bit lost on how the American decision-making processes worked because much of the background was zipped through at high speed.
Also, the film-makers have deliberately kept the interviewer's voices quieter than their subjects. So much so, I struggled a few times to hear what was being asked, particularly of Spitzer.
In saying all that it was still very good and yet another insight into the way power corrupts in the United States and an example of why it is not quite the great democracy its political leaders claim it is.
Rating? 7.5/10
Oh, I forgot to say this was a catch-up movie. It was originally in cinemas a couple of months ago, but I watched it through Lovefilm.
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