Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room

Last night, we watched "Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room". This is a documentary on the rise and spectacular crash of Enron. This movie was nominated for Best Documentary of 2005. It is a fascinating and compelling story that is well told in this film. While the story is business and accounting-oriented, the movie focused more on the characters and the company culture. It very easily could have been dry and pedantic, however the film moved along well. Even though I knew how the story ended, I was always involved in the movie and wondering what would happen next.

One of the most compelling stories in the movie was Enron's involvement in the 2001 energy crisis in California. Remember being told that there was not enough electricity for California, that rolling blackouts were required, and then paying exorbitant prices for energy? Enron engineered the crisis. The company was having financial problems and came up with a plan to create massive profits. The plan was documented in internal company memos and recorded in phone conversations. It cost Californians billions of dollars. Afterwards, Enron pointed out that the maneuvers were completely legal and blamed California's complex energy regulations for making it possible! Grrrr



The picture above is Ken Lay, the Enron Chairman of the Board. Throughout the movie, you see Ken (and the other Enron executives) as being confident and happy. Inside and outside of the company, these executives are portrayed as extremely competent and trustworthy business leaders. Furthermore, their public image is of the highest moral caliber. At one point, the CEO describes the company, "We are on the side of the angels." The scariest part is that Ken Lay and the rest of the executives seem to believe all of this, even to this day. They feel that all of the scandals were someone else's fault. No one has yet taken responsibility.

I have seen three of the movies nominated for Best Documentary of 2005: "March of the Penguins", "Murderball" and this movie. While "Enron" is an excellent movie, I enjoyed it the least of the three. For me, the best films get me engaged with the characters. I felt an attachment to the penguins and the people in "Murderball". The characters in "Enron" were interesting, however I actually felt a detachment from them. They are not people that I would like to spend time with. Once again, I think "Enron" is an excellent film that I highly recommend, I just liked the other two better.