“Unraveled” reveals the lesser-known case against Mark Dreier, an attorney and “philanthropist” charged with wire fraud, money laundering and other charges. In what amounts to a fascinating study of greed and motivation told from within an intimate series of exchanges, director Marc Simon allows Dreier to share his account of the events that transpired.
Slick graphic-novel style animations introduce us to Dreier as a man in a position to deal in hundreds of millions of dollars, a man confident in his ability to deliver what would otherwise be life-changing sums of money from one hand to another and back again, and to question what we would do if we sat in a place that wielded and yielded that level of power and responsibility.
Accusing Dreier of masterminding a fraud involving hundreds of million of dollars by selling fake securities, prosecutors requested a sentence of 145 years in prison. Following his guilty plea, Simon filmed Dreier during the 60-day house-arrest period in which he awaited sentencing, offering indelible insight into the life and mind of this once-wealthy and seemingly successful individual.
Listening to Dreier’s admissions as he sits in an incredible loft apartment overlooking the city and seeing footage of his celebrating excess in a life alongside professional footballers while building a law firm with his name only on the door, the viewer is brought along on Dreier’s illicit, illegally fueled ride that ended in disaster.
Unraveled, reviewed by Elliot V. Kotek. Sorry, I couldn’t find a movie trailer but the movie sounds interesting.
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