While Hollywood has romanticized financial crime in films like Oceans Eleven, the documentary Unraveled provides a surprisingly honest look at large-scale white-collar crime in America. By following Marc Dreier during his house arrest, director Marc Simon captures a once-in-a- lifetime glance into the mindset of a criminal. This true story is propelled by real news clips about the incident and has a very cinematic, narrative feel to it. At times, I forgot I was watching a documentary and not a fiction piece. Dreier's crimes are so large and creative that they seem to be taken straight from a Hollywood film. Unraveled examines the financial climate at the time of Dreier's crimes and follows his activities from the opening of his law firm in 1998 until his sentencing in July of 2009. The film also analyzes the effect Dreier's crimes had on his personal life, especially regarding his relationship with his son and dog.
Unraveled explains how Dreier build his empire on shaky stacks of debt and lies, then follows how it all came falling down. It also relates his case to Bernie Madoff's similar case also going on at the time. During his interviews, Dreier shows remorse and a sense of responsibility for his actions. The documentary leaves you understanding the position Dreier was in, and also learning enough of his personality to understand why he committed the fraud.
Overall, Unraveled does an excellent job explaining the inside situation surrounding Marc Dreier's case and provides a great explanation of the economic climate during the last 20 years. When it was over, I was left feeling informed and sympathetic, but also sure that Dreier got what he deserved.
