American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders

After watching this I am still not sure.. Mostly about.. well.. anything. This is too big of a story. So big it makes you wonder if it is even possible but at the same time it somehow feels very possible and almost common. A conspiracy so wild and wide it is almost infinite. But what makes it different is the point of view. In this documentary you are part of the crew trying to decipher it all as well as a witness of an obsession that can possess you if you get to deep. If there is a mystery so profound including so many parts and questions it might never stop and it might just take you down with it. For more reasons.

Overall it's very interesting content. The intelligence community seems as dark and shady as we all imagined. Honestly, it's probably far worse than we could ever imagine and any documentary could ever portray. This documentary moves at a snails pace. At times it feels scattered and likely missing parts. I understand that's part of a conspiracy theory but by the end it's difficult to keep the timeline straight enough to make a proper conclusion for yourself. Aggravating ending. Kudos to the film makers for digging up the research and interviews though. You can see the time they put into it. Unfortunately it just misses the mark overall in the end.

There are known knowns and known unknowns. I seem to recall a member of a criminal administration saying that.

This high caliber documentary does not pretend the behemoth of a story can ever be wrapped up in tidy fashion. There are far too many tentacles, so to speak. Yet much is uncovered. Facts are learned. Suspicions confirmed. New questions raised, new unknowns discovered. Every stone turned over can reveal a new fact, danger, helper, criminal, or crazy. This documentary is the book the almost certainly murdered Danny Casolaro did not live to finish and so much more.

It has been confirmed by numerous sources that members of the soon to be elected Reagan administration had the will and the contacts to delay the release of the Iran hostages for great political gain. The same administration bypassed congress to illegally sell arms to Nicaraguan Contras. Reagan claimed to forgotten most everything when finally put on the stand.

The Promis software had a backdoor. It was sold to allies and used to spy on them as the money was counted. Government agencies and former employees did brisk business. Electing former CIA head Bush exasperated shady dealings and clandestine violence. What's a few more bodies when the money is so good?

Investigator Christian Hansen can never stop asking questions, never learn enough. Sign posts along the rabbit hole that claimed Danny crop up, but he keeps digging, much to his credit. We are left with many disturbing facts, informed speculation, helpful informers, troubled witnesses with a foot in each world, and plenty to ponder.

Dead men tell no tales. Many have been silenced. Others fear to speak up. Some share truths tainted by justifiable paranoia. The film does not claim to have all the answers or even all the questions. But bravery and dogged curiosity are a dangerous combination. It is to viewers' benefit that Hansen dug deep. We can make of it what we will, going forward a little wiser and better informed. Recommended.

I watched this blind, in the mood for something suspicious and thrilling to ring in autumn...

ACTOM fit the bill pretty well! The production of this documentary really keeps you hanging off everyone's last word, trying to piece together what could possibly have happened. The characters in this scheme are bizarre, interesting people, and the rabbit hole just keeps going deeper...

Until it doesn't. The twist at the end really felt like "Wait, I watched all of that for this?!" By no means do I mean the "verdict" is far-fetched or unbelievable, but the final episode and wrap-up to this series was such a belly-flop of nothing compared to all the build-up the previous episodes had.

Not a bad watch, but unsatisfying ending in my opinion.

American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders: Documentary series which explores the death of journalist Danny Casolaro and the conspiracies he was investigating at the time of his death. It very much looks as if he was murdered and the the death scene staged to look like suicide, But was he killed by state agents or killers acting on behalf of organised crime? The documentary uncovers credible evidence that officials in the Justice Department acted to steal software from it's legitimate owners and hand ir over to those who had political connections, Other murders are involved not to mention some of those who crop up in the investigation having links to the Iran-Contra affair. Some former state assets may have been set up and/oe killed because of loose lips. We are dealing with the intersection of the Intelligence Community with Organised Crime. A good documentary but it tries to cover too many issues and becomes convoluted and confusing at times. Directed by Zachary Treitz. Four episodes on Netflix. 7/10.