“The Wizard of Lies” is a riveting biopic about businessman Bernard Madoff’s ponzi scheme where he bilked investors out of some $65 billion dollars. This HBO film has solid direction by Barry Levinson (“Rain Man” 1988) and a high quality teleplay by Levinson, Sam Baum, and John Burnham Schwartz, adapted from Diana B. Henriques’ 2011 non-fiction book “The Wizard of Lies: Bernie Madoff and the Death of Trust.”
The fast-moving 132 minute movie featured unforgettable performances by Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer as Bernard and Ruth Madoff, not well known by the public but who we certainly get to know personally here. The supporting cast includes Alessandro Nivola and Nathan Darrow as the Madoff sons, Hank Azaria as Madoff’s assistant, and Diana B. Henriques as herself. Others include Katherine Narducci, Sydney Gayle, Lily Rabe, Kristen Connolly, Steve Coulter, and Michael Kostroff.
“The Wizard of Lies” was nominated for three Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Television Movie, Outstanding Lead Actor (De Niro), and Outstanding Supporting Actress (Pfeiffer), and was originally broadcast on HBO in May, 2017. A interesting feature of this made-for-television film was its depiction of what happened to the Madoff family as a result of his blatant cheating of numerous investors, many of them of their life savings.
The Wizard of Lies (2017)
cinema
My Review
“The Wizard of Lies” is a riveting biopic about businessman Bernard Madoff’s ponzi scheme where he bilked investors out of some $65 billion dollars. This HBO film has solid direction by Barry Levinson (“Rain Man” 1988) and a high quality teleplay by Levinson, Sam Baum, and John Burnham Schwartz, adapted from Diana B. Henriques’ 2011 non-fiction book “The Wizard of Lies: Bernie Madoff and the Death of Trust.”
The fast-moving 132 minute movie featured unforgettable performances by Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer as Bernard and Ruth Madoff, not well known by the public but who we certainly get to know personally here. The supporting cast includes Alessandro Nivola and Nathan Darrow as the Madoff sons, Hank Azaria as Madoff’s assistant, and Diana B. Henriques as herself. Others include Katherine Narducci, Sydney Gayle, Lily Rabe, Kristen Connolly, Steve Coulter, and Michael Kostroff.
“The Wizard of Lies” was nominated for three Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Television Movie, Outstanding Lead Actor (De Niro), and Outstanding Supporting Actress (Pfeiffer), and was originally broadcast on HBO in May, 2017. A interesting feature of this made-for-television film was its depiction of what happened to the Madoff family as a result of his blatant cheating of numerous investors, many of them of their life savings.