In the unforgettable 1987 hit movie “Wall Street”, Gordon Gekko said, “Greed is good”. And, in case you didn’t hear it right the first time, he said it again in 2010 in “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps”. Of course, that was right after he finished a stint in prison for insider trading. OK, so we’re all fairly well aware of how much greed and corruption there is in the world and this new Netflix series called “Dirty Money”, which airs its first of six episodes on January 26, 2018, exposes some of it in vivid, if not highly disturbing, detail. Each one of the six episodes explores a different area of greed that is definitely not good. Well, maybe it’s good for those perpetrating it but definitely not good for the rest of us. Much of it is hurtful financially but some of it could actually be costing people their lives.
“Dirty Money” Trailer
The recently released trailer for “Dirty Money” shows some disturbing details of stories about several significant areas of greed and corruption in our modern-day business world. So, if you want to see more, you’ll have to tune in and watch the complete episodes, which are brought to you by a group of very talented documentary filmmakers that includes some award-winning directors like Erin Lee Carr, Kristi Jacobson, Fisher Stevens, Alex Gibney, Jesse Moss, and Brian McGinn. The subjects of “Dirty Money” include payday lenders, Big Pharma, HSBC, Trump INC, Volkswagen, and believe it or not, maple syrup. As it turns out, that yummy stuff we put on our pancakes is actually worth more money than oil in Canada. Who knew?
Six Riveting Episodes
So, here are the six episodes and what they’re all about:
~ “Cartel Bank”, which is directed by Kristi Jacobson, chronicles the history of HSBC. It shows how this big bank, which is actually one of the largest in the world, has been laundering money for the Mexican drug cartels for decades now. The amount they’ve allegedly cleaned for them is in the hundreds of millions and that’s USD, not Pesos. The question that this episode asks is whether they’re simply too big to be prosecuted for it.
~ “Drug Short” is directed by Erin Lee Carr and it exposes the way that Big Pharma is gouging many a sick patient who is in need of a life-saving drug. The subject of how Big Pharma deprives sick individuals of cures for what ails them just so that they can make more money is not a new one. In a very informative book written by G. Edward Griffin called “World Without Cancer: The Story of Vitamin B17”, the misdeeds of pharmaceutical companies in the name of bigger profits were exposed and it’s undoubtedly not the only book written on the subject. It begs the question of how long we are going to let Big Pharma risk our lives in exchange for them lining their greedy pockets.
~ “Payday” was directed by Jesse Moss and exposes what has been called “a treadmill of debt” because unsuspecting borrowers get trapped on it and can’t find a way out. They take out a payday loan when they’re desperate for short-term quick money and never seem to be able to pay it off. Many pay their loans over and over again until they’ve paid ten times what they originally borrowed. Lenders make millions off these small loans that are meant to be short-term. They’re regulated from state-to-state, making it difficult for borrowers to know if they’re even legal or not. Find out when this episode airs.
~ Hard NOx, directed by Alex Gibney, exposes some shocking details regarding VW and how they’re putting lives at risk every day. It delves into corporate deception and the facts about how automakers are getting away with this with the help of governmental agencies who allegedly looked the other way.
~ “The Maple Syrup Heist was directed by Brian McGinn and it chronicles the theft of $20m worth of the sticky stuff and a major battle that, again, involves the cartels.
~ “The Confidence Man”, which was directed by Fisher Stevens, chronicles the President’s business career and his company, TRUMP Inc., from the days of his many epic failures to today when he holds the fate of our entire country in his hands.
So, tune in to Netflix starting on January 26th to find out all of the disturbing details of “Dirty Money”.
