Video Americain

Synopsis

In 2006, filmmaker Danny Schechter was denounced by some reviewers as an "alarmist" for his film In Debt We Trust, which warned of the coming credit crisis. He was labeled a "doom and gloomer," until the economy melted down, vindicating his warnings. His new film, Plunder: The Crime Of Our Time is a hard-hitting investigative film that shows how the financial crisis was built on a foundation of criminal activity.

To tell this story, Schechter speaks with bankers involved in these activities, respected economists, insider experts, top journalists including Paul Krugman, and even a convicted white-collar criminal, Sam Antar, who blows the whistle on intentionally dishonest practices.

Plunder: the Crime of Our Time looks into how the crisis developed, from the mysterious collapse of Bear Stearns to the shadowy world of trillion dollar hedge funds. Insiders who work in the industry and know it well tell both of these stories. Plunder also shows how hastily arranged government bailouts did not revive the economy and may have lost billions.

Ultimately the film calls for a full investigation and structural reforms of financial institutions to insure accountability by the white-collar perpetrators who profited from the misery of their victims.