Despite Bernie Madoff's name in the title, Jeff Prosserman's documentary isn't so much about the notorious Wall Street swindler but rather analyst Harry Markopolos, who became convinced that the fund manager was a fraud and was obsessed with proving it. Combining interview segments with flashy visuals (including impressionistic recreations reminiscent of Errol Morris's style), Chasing Madoff portrays Markopolos as a heroic whistleblower—a David taking on Goliaths, not only Madoff but the SEC, which dismissed his warnings about Madoff's chicanery. The film argues that Madoff was ignored because there were too many powerful people whose interests would be harmed by his fall. And although Markopolos has been feted for having discovered the financier's malfeasance early on, he considers himself a failure for not having succeeded in taking Madoff down earlier (it wasn't until after the 2008 economic collapse that Madoff was forced to confess and Markopolos's evidence of his wrongdoing was vindicated). What makes Markopolos interesting isn't just his compulsiveness but also his quirkiness and proclivity for melodramatics. Convinced that he was a marked man, Markopolos armed himself, fearing that he and his family might be killed by intruders (here Prosserman crosses the line, not by simply recording Markopolos's fears, but by re-enacting events as if they'd actually happened). A flawed but fascinating portrait of an unusual crusader, this is recommended, overall. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Jeff Prosserman, an alternate ending (10 min.), deleted scenes (2 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a fine documentary.] (F. Swietek)
Chasing Madoff (releasing Sept. 28) [DVD Review—Sept. 9, 2021—Cohen Media Group, 91 min., not rated, DVD: $19.95—Making its second appearance on DVD, Chasing Madoff (2010) features a fine transfer and extras including audio commentary by director Jeff Prosserman, deleted scenes, and an alternate ending. Bottom line: this is essentially a re-packaged re-release with the same extras as the 2012 MPI edition. Definitely worth adding to collections that don’t already own that earlier release.]