American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders

Overall it's very interesting content. The intelligence community seems as dark and shady as we all imagined. Honestly, it's probably far worse than we could ever imagine and any documentary could ever portray. This documentary moves at a snails pace. At times it feels scattered and likely missing parts. I understand that's part of a conspiracy theory but by the end it's difficult to keep the timeline straight enough to make a proper conclusion for yourself. Aggravating ending. Kudos to the film makers for digging up the research and interviews though. You can see the time they put into it. Unfortunately it just misses the mark overall in the end.

American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders: Documentary series which explores the death of journalist Danny Casolaro and the conspiracies he was investigating at the time of his death. It very much looks as if he was murdered and the the death scene staged to look like suicide, But was he killed by state agents or killers acting on behalf of organised crime? The documentary uncovers credible evidence that officials in the Justice Department acted to steal software from it's legitimate owners and hand ir over to those who had political connections, Other murders are involved not to mention some of those who crop up in the investigation having links to the Iran-Contra affair. Some former state assets may have been set up and/oe killed because of loose lips. We are dealing with the intersection of the Intelligence Community with Organised Crime. A good documentary but it tries to cover too many issues and becomes convoluted and confusing at times. Directed by Zachary Treitz. Four episodes on Netflix. 7/10.

Ignore the suspicously odd number of super low reviews. This documentary is flawed, but well worth a watch. Addressing the flaws first: it's a bit plodding at times and there are parts that could have been clearer. It also seems to throw the main information under the bus to some degree (perhaps pulling back to lessen the possiblity of blowback for making it). Is it biased? Probably (it's on Netflix, after all). Does it tell the whole story? Nope.

It is, however, very much still worth a watch. It offers some fresh examples of how the world actually works: evidence that's buried by the police, murderous criminals who do little/no time (because they also work for powerful people), intelligence operatives posing as humanitarians, "whistleblowers" who dole out disinformation and try to determine what you actually know, intersection of intelligence organizations and organized crime, etc.

If you aren't already somewhat familiar with the world of covert operations like the CIA's role in the crack cocaine epidemic you might assume all of what's in the documentary is made up, but the world is a strange place.

This doc series had a great start, delving into the suspicious death of an investigative journalist who was knee deep in government conspiracies. Unfortunately, it never goes any deeper. Documenters force you to watch countless minutes of news flashbacks pertaining to a myriad of different scandals but never draw conclusions or make new discoveries. The two 'journalists' simply come to the same conclusions that their predecessor did but have just as little proof. There are far too many people involved and far too many events dragged in for a person to come out on the other end of this doc remembering even one shred of it all.

There are known knowns and known unknowns. I seem to recall a member of a criminal administration saying that.

This high caliber documentary does not pretend the behemoth of a story can ever be wrapped up in tidy fashion. There are far too many tentacles, so to speak. Yet much is uncovered. Facts are learned. Suspicions confirmed. New questions raised, new unknowns discovered. Every stone turned over can reveal a new fact, danger, helper, criminal, or crazy. This documentary is the book the almost certainly murdered Danny Casolaro did not live to finish and so much more.

It has been confirmed by numerous sources that members of the soon to be elected Reagan administration had the will and the contacts to delay the release of the Iran hostages for great political gain. The same administration bypassed congress to illegally sell arms to Nicaraguan Contras. Reagan claimed to forgotten most everything when finally put on the stand.

The Promis software had a backdoor. It was sold to allies and used to spy on them as the money was counted. Government agencies and former employees did brisk business. Electing former CIA head Bush exasperated shady dealings and clandestine violence. What's a few more bodies when the money is so good?

Investigator Christian Hansen can never stop asking questions, never learn enough. Sign posts along the rabbit hole that claimed Danny crop up, but he keeps digging, much to his credit. We are left with many disturbing facts, informed speculation, helpful informers, troubled witnesses with a foot in each world, and plenty to ponder.

Dead men tell no tales. Many have been silenced. Others fear to speak up. Some share truths tainted by justifiable paranoia. The film does not claim to have all the answers or even all the questions. But bravery and dogged curiosity are a dangerous combination. It is to viewers' benefit that Hansen dug deep. We can make of it what we will, going forward a little wiser and better informed. Recommended.