Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer - B

In theaters. Rated R, 117 minutes. Trailer.

The story of former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer's downfall is fascinating. As told by noted documentarian Alex Gibney, the story is transformed into a goliath/goliath story that almost casts Spitzer as a victim. Gibney begins the film by showing Spitzer's brave/reckless fight against Wall Street during the early 2000s. Some of those fights were surprisingly prescient, and they earned Spitzer some powerful and wealthy enemies. As he assumes the governorship, he is at his political zenith but he also begins to get hookers from a high end escort service, culminating in his downfall. Click below for more on Client 9:

The strength of the film are the interviews with Spitzer and the prostitutes. The actual girl that brought him down (Ashley Dupre) was not in the film because she wanted to have control over how her interviews were portrayed. Spitzer's discussion of himself is painful because he is so smart and he knows how stupid he was, but he still can't explain it. The girls that are interviewed are so flighty and stupid it just continues to drive home the staggering recklessness it would take for him to have been meeting prostitutes.

Gibney also introduces us to the cast of enemies that may or may not have alerted the authorities to Spitzer's conduct. They are funny and interesting, but also pretty clearly happy to have the credit for his downfall. Worth your time if you're into politics and morality.