Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Memorable, crazy movie

Excellent but underrated film

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

These reviews of the documentary mini-series, MADOFF, range from very good to excellent, with but a few average ones. Many of the people are perceptive and far-thinking in their evaluation of the mini-series, the character, Madoff, the real-life Madoff, and the true-life events around him. I am not going to repeat these great reviews.My addition here is the cautionary tale of dangerous sociopaths among humanity. How do we spot them? What can we do? How can we protect ourselves?The answer is that it's not simple. If sociopaths had not been able to hone their pathological lying skills to a fine edge, they wouldn't exist. The fact that they are successful so often underlies their evolutionary chameleon behavioral skills through the Darwinian process of evolution. Even highly intelligent people who have been rooked by Madoff-types beat themselves over the head for being, 'stupid' yet this self-criticism is largely undeserved. Successful con-man Madoff types evolved their slick-talking, smooth-talking sophistry and verbal deception with perfect bodily and facial cues to match to deceive people of high intelligence. After all, it's usually the very smart people who have the money.Remember Lance Armstrong who so vociferously and compellingly denied his doping accusers that even I at first believed him that he was being set up by jealous peers. Remember infamous Susan Smith of 1993 who drowned her two boys in secret and then standing next to her ex-husband, sobbed and pleaded in front of the new cameras for the kidnapper to return her two, cherished, beloved young boys? One news source later dryly added that Smith should have been recommended for a Hollywood Oscar for her bravura performance.I myself have personally witnessed a man who harbored a conscious, Jekyll and Hyde dual persona. To his employees he waved his finger in front of them, bellowed, accused them and demeaned them. To non-employees or potential clients, he portrayed an extremely convincing, soothing, Oprah or Dr. Phil personality as if he could be the best confidant that they could rely upon. He was extremely convincing. Such people are so convincing and they don't emit otherwise negative vibes that might alert the listener that something is amiss.What can you do? Be cautious and do your homework when the promises seem too good to be true. In the case of Madoff, a Wall Street analyst, nearly two years before Madoff's downfall, did suspect that there was something unconvincing about Madoff's investment business model. He ran the complicated math algorithms several times and every time he came up with the same result: Madoff's investment business model could not logically produce the investment gain results that he was publishing. There would have to be an external infusion of funds from outside the business model to make the results plausible. But he was a lone voice in the wilderness. He was a nobody on Wall Street and he had no powerful Wall Street support that could take his results and confront a powerful man that Madoff was at the time. As one imdb poster added, Madoff's white-collar crime actions had ripple effects and domino effects that affected many other people, often innocent. It was his own two sons that contributed to turning Madoff in and cooperated with the SEC and I believe also the FBI, but am not sure. Both men were cleared of being complicit with their father although one did get into some trouble for unknowing helping his father in the Ponzi schemes, but he didn't go to jail. Yet both sons suffered terribly. From well-respected, well-to-do men who once were afforded high social positions in the highest social and economic strata of the rich and powerful in Manhattan, New York City, they found themselves overnight as unemployed, unemployable, social outcasts and pariahs. The health of the eldest son deteriorated and he passed away. The youngest son, at the young age of only 44, separated from his wife, one afternoon went to visit his young son. As the son napped in his bedroom, the father hung himself in the living room. I have no doubt in my mind the father succumbed to the blackest despair that his life was truly over and irretrievable, leading him, in the old term, to, "...take the honorable way out." I don't know if he was even mourned at his funeral.In summary, it is very, very difficult to spot and deal with sociopaths. Often there are, 'functioning sociopaths' who reach high positions in companies, corporations, organizations, the government, even the military. They know who to flatter and how to do flatter while attaching themselves to rising stars. They might be apparent in this overt fashion but their game is good because the people they flatter are convinced the sociopathic flatterer is one of the best talented extroverted people they've ever met. It's one thing to avoid a dangerous sociopath who might harbor intentions of physical harm on you and it's another thing to cope with a functioning sociopath who desires advancement by flattering you, or, if you are not in a position to help him or her, then you are either a nothing to them or worse, a possible competitor. The sociopath's superior lying skills often work successfully in undermining the good, honest employee because the people he or she flatter are convinced he or she is telling the truth.Lastly, I will comment on Madoff that I agree with one poster, Madoff did have sincere feelings of affection and camaraderie with friends, family, and close associates. Sociopaths can and do feel genuine affection to some. In the mini-series Madoff covertly expresses his desire to protect his secretary by declining several times to invest her $200,000 inheritance. He can't reveal the truth to her so he can only shine her on with unconvincing advice which leads the secretary to press him even more, finally accusing Madoff of lacking loyalty and true friendship to her. If I recall, she's even on the brink of tears, baffled as to why her long-term, affectionate employer that she faithfully served for years should not want to take her measly $200K, invest it and make her a millionaire as he's done for so many people. Realizing his secretary has pushed him up against a wall, Madoff realizes it is safer to give in and take her money rather than continue refusing. I felt a lot of sympathy for the secretary. How could she have even suspected that she was literally pouring what could have been a huge chunk of her retirement down the drain, never to be recovered.

An interesting story based on Bernie Madoff the so called wizard of Wall Street, well played by the entire cast, and informative of what people are willing to do acquiring your money, Madoff may have started out simply trying to impress his friends and family as they stated he had it all before the Ponzi affair, so either he did it and it spun out of control or he became wrapped up in the illusion of his vain wizardry, maybe both, in either case its sad people become so wrapped up and taken so easily by money, never satisfied with what they got, and need something to fill their void of unhappiness, don't pity the poor man, pity the fool, and delusional wizards, the domino effect of the fallout was a atrocity to all the victims, hopefully a lesson to save others in the Madoff's of the future.

Wow; this is the closest thing I've seen to an ABC "movie of the week" in ages! I watched the first half of this two-part mini-series last night. The second half- "The Fall"- airs tonight. Oscar-winning screen legend, Richard Dreyfuss, plays the financial guru/con artist in this semi-biopic; but mostly covers the events leading up to, and tonight, following, his downfall. I saw a review online that said this movie almost makes you root for Bernie, and it does to an extent. It's actually quite humorous; although at times I get the feeling I'm laughing at parts that weren't meant to be funny-?? LOL Peter Scolari and Blythe Danner co-star.

I was so pleased to hear that the A List actor Richard Dreyfuss (American Graffiti, Jaws, and The Goodbye Girl) signed on to play the U.S.A.'s biggest investment fraudster, the Ponzi scheme master, Bernie Madoff. From the beginning of the biographical film, Richard Dreyfuss narrates the Bernie Madoff biography and he walks us through his "modus operandi" how he conned so many smart and wealthy investors starting in 1960 when his accountant father-in-law introduces a young Bernie Madoff to his own circle of clients, as well as many elderly people who entrusted Bernie Madoff with their life savings. Bernie's method of convincing investors to continue investing with him was to tell his clients that he was prepared to immediately cut them a cheque for their entire investment plus interest but then they would not be allowed to invest with him again. Madoff had his brother, wife and sons working in his firm and as the story progresses we really are left to wonder whether or not they knew anything about the Ponzi scheme, or did they just believe in Bernie Madoff the investment guru, who was their husband, father or brother.Also agreeing to play in this non-sanctioned autobiography film "Madoff" are Blythe Danner as Bernie's wife, Peter Scolari as Bernie's brother Peter, Michael Rispoli as the behind the scenes book fixer, Charles Grodin as Carl Shapiro, Frank Whaley as a competitive broker named Harry Markopolos who figures out Bernie's secret method which is simply a fraud. Richard Dreyfuss's real life son Ben Dreyfuss plays the younger Bernie Madoff which makes it easier to believe the evolution of Bernie Madoff over the decades.Slowly the film peels away each layer of skin one by one, on this onion and we get to see the real Bernie Madoff as the scammer that he really is and then how the S.E.C. (Securities and Exchange Commissions) closes in on him to eventually stop the bleeding and the U.S.A.'s biggest Ponzi scheme. Since the film was originally released as a two part story and it was deluged with commercial breaks I look forward to purchasing the DVD version and watching the film the way it should be seen, without any commercial breaks. It is an excellent film with great insight into how easily thousands of investors were scammed for decades as long as the return on investments continued to be high and as Bernie would say "we need to continue to grow and find new investors". I give the film two thumbs up. Definitely worth investing your movie viewing time in, but not your money with Bernie Madoff who will remain in prison for his 150 year sentence.