Dirty Rotten Scoundrels of Transnational Bluffing

“Based on some real shit” – oh no, that`s not about my life, as you might have assumed. It`s about the mystical world of finance. Are you mixing up futures and derivatives? How about stock option plans? And indeed, do you actually have enough money to maintain such a high-flying conversation? Okay, easy question: how do you like Gary Oldman, Antonio Banderas and Meryl Streep, all in one very tricky movie about big money, shameless bribery and sunny off-shores? This phantasmagoric cocktail named ‘The Laundromat’ was blended by Steven Soderbergh who added some comicality for tipsiness, some satire for bitterness and some politics for strength and served it in a Netflix-HQ cube shaped glass – unfortunately, the film was not released in theaters. Unfortunately, because in fact it is about justice, not fraud, and what justice can we talk about when the audience was banned from choosing the very format of seeing the film (there are still lots of people who love going to theaters). Well, let`s leave this question to legal advisors, although, wait a sec, the legal advisors are our main heroes today!

The ones we are interested in are more than well-known due to notorious activities of their consulting company Mossack Fonseca & Cо. However, instead of real Jürgen Mossack and Ramon Fonseca we will talk their cinematic doppelgangers – Gary Oldman and Antonio Banderas. Trust me, this is an icing on the cake of film duos of the year: after ultimately diverse and opposite-tempered characters of ‘The Green Book’, ‘The Professor and The Madman’, ‘Mary Queen of Scots’ and, for sure ‘Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood’ these two impress with surprising synergy and consonance of cynical and witty mind. Both experts in trade-offs profitable to them only, template off-shore consultants, masters of seemingly boring but weirdly entertaining documents, genius in hands-washing of any affair – that`s dirty rotten scoundrels of the new era, operating invisibly but transnationally, smooth and flawless. Mossack and Fonseca opened their imaginarium in 1977, and, if not the papers leaked in 2016, could have been successfully creating their Russian dolls of countless firms, hiding somebody`s tax evasion or bankruptcy or a way too generous bribe inside. Kiss your money goodbye if these two came after them.

©Photo credit: Netflix

Soderbergh told the tale of the Panama papers in a kind of a mischievous way, presenting it from the point of view of the criminal buddies themselves and, as a parallel, from the eyes of the restless elderly widow (Meryl Streep) who fights the windmills of financial schemes in pursuit of justice. Mossack and Fonseca look pretty grotesque as storytellers, displaying each episode of their off-shore fun and frolic through some symbolic scenes which are followed by the action itself. Sometimes this may be akin to seeing a vivid Broadway show: they are sharing the lighter and some dollar bills with protohistoric hominids, then telling their own biographies while having cocktails on a crudely decorative beach, or, invisible to other characters, moving through supermarkets, churches and clubs wearing whimsical suits more applicable for Met Gala. This visual exaggeration contains a strong punch towards life of the rich – all these clothes are additionally seasoned with some money accessories, like ties and scarves with USD, GBP, RMB, RUB, JPY signs.

©Photo credit: Netflix

The two are never classic cinematic villains – they are just the curtain for financial tricks of the true power players. The Russians are buying Las Vegas elite property for pure cash, the wife of the Chinese Politburo Standing Committee kills foreign businessman, oligarchic Afro-Americans are slicing the billion-dollar cake due to cheating from which no family in the world is ever guaranteed – all this mess is gently covered by Mossack and Fonseca`s  spider web of companies, branches and representative offices worldwide. It suddenly turns out that Panama, British Virgin Islands, Cyprus, Niue, Saint Kitts and Nevis are twice more powerful than the USA, Russia, the EU, China or whoever else since they have lots of secrets to hide, and the only hidaway is an off-shore zone. Soderbergh coped well with framing such tangible and serious matters (sometimes even disgraceful and hard-hitting for some countries) into satire without stepping away the reasonable limits.

©Photo credit: Netflix

From time to time ‘The Laundromat’ looks like a study guide on Off-Shore Financial Law, basic level. All complicated schemes are easily explained, like simple maths in a schoolbook for kids, with some funny examples and pictures. Both main characters are aces of their business, and, should an unpredictable situation occur, they first of all wonder “Is this a real person?” about whoever caused their inconvenience or concern. That`s how it works in the world of big money – there are many people involved, but just few of them are not imaginary. Sometimes this invisible colonial empire is shaken by sudden storms of unpredictable accidents, especially when the two kings do not even bother themselves knowing who their clients are and what they are dealing with. Anyway, these little problems of a big company affect badly those normal nobodies who are their target prey, like Ellen or her friends and family members.

©Photo credit: Netflix

There could be different attitudes towards political trends in modern filmmaking, but Steven Soderbergh made the politics work for him to comprise the idea of social justice. Real newsreel of 2016 illustrates the half-imaginary story quite well. Still the corruption stays alive, in every sphere, in every country, and the main characters, freshly released from jail, are wearing their white summer blazers and Stetson hats again – their company has gone west, while countless similar structures are still in full function. By the way, real Jürgen Mossack and Ramon Fonseca filed a lawsuit against Netflix for portraying them in quite an unflattering way as “ruthless uncaring lawyers who are involved in money laundering, tax evasion, bribery and/or other criminal conduct”, demanding the film to be excluded from the streaming catalogue. Big little lies and legally issued deceit: have you seen caring lawyers at least once in a lifetime? More than that, it`s obvious that half-forgotten guys will profit from portrayals by Gary Oldman and Antonio Banderas.

©Photo credit: Netflix

Putting aside the theory and practice of the worldwide fraud, I stumble up to an invisible obstacle while talking the cinematic value of the film. No doubts that rich bitch antics brilliantly performed by Oldman and Banderas are an exquisite pleasure to look at. The first is no stranger to playing cunning guys a decade older than he actually is, and this time the image was featured with funny German accent. The latter is a master of swagger, being a perfect match with his Spanish elegance. The interested viewer will definitely notice that except two main characters they played a few minor supporting roles.

©Photo credit: Netflix

Meryl Streep is not new to the active third age lady`s role, this time her character is way closer to the humdrum of reality, she is rather more busy granny with idealistic girlscout activism than one could imagine, and her fictional concern leads the boys to jail. And these worries and strive for justice is not fake, Meryl Streep is a well-known activist in real life, she could not left a story with so large scale social impact unattended. The film casted numerous famous actors as well, if you are attentive enough you will be surprised to see hardly recognizable Sharon Stone in the Las Vegas episode playing a property agent.

©Photo credit: Netflix

Still there is something that should have been implied but never appeared in the film. Watching it was like “Oh come on, guys, it`s time to burn the town! Do something irresistibly fantastic, do it right now, with no regrets!” but with nothing truly astonishing or almost comic-bookishly involving happening. Of course, that is not a reality show to expect scandalous celebrities coming out with their coming-outs, or any showmen to show up. But in my view exactly this lack of insanity was the main obstacle on the way to the Golden Lion earlier this year. Once started like a grotesque, ‘The Laundromat’ should have followed the sine curve of its own logic, with all evidences and surprises on the way. That is why many critics share the opinion that the film turned out to fall below the level of audience`s expectations, and this time I fully agree with them. Soderbergh and his screenwriter Scott Z. Burns have nothing to have it in for anyone then – besides Venice, the film had a special screening at TIFF which is now one of the main points of no return before heading to award season. And you know what, there is a kind of trend scrolling through past few years: look, every year there is at least one top-expected film about any papers or real crime stories revealed. ‘Snowden’ in 2016, ‘Molly`s Game’ and ‘The Post’ in 2017, ‘Billionaire Boys Club’ in 2018, and this year – ‘Official Secrets’, ‘The Report’ and now ‘The Laundromat’. Itching to know who is next in line.

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