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I really liked Alex Winter's Downloaded, as I thought it gave a very good synopsis of the Napster story. When I saw that he was doing one about the deep web, I was pretty stoked, especially sine this is a subject that is in it's early stages, unlike Napster. I heard Winter on Adam Carolla's podcast talking about it, and he spent most of the time talking about the Ulbrecht trial, which I was unfamiliar with. Still, since Ulbrecht was a major figure in the deep web, I thought it was going to be a substantial part of the documentary. I was mistaken. Ulbricht's story comprises 90% of this documentary, with various opinions on the war on drugs comprising another 8%. The remaining 2% actually talks about the deep web, and that merely serves to provide a framework and reference point for Ulbrecht's story. I hope that someday there will be a documentary about the deep web that isn't about one particular story or person, unfortunately this isn't it. That said, this is still really interesting, especially to people who have never heard of Ulbrecht's case or the deep web in general.

As someone who is very interested in current events, politics and world history, I'm somewhat ashamed to admit that I did not know anything about Silk Road or had even followed the trial of Ross Ulbricht.

Yes, I did read the headlines announcing the verdict but it was only after watching this fine documentary did I learn about the trial and the issues surrounding Silk Road and the charges against Mr. Ulbricht.

The "facts" are placed in context and many questions remain but what is presented in this film should be seen by all Americans and people seeking justice. This film is a must see even if it's only to get your footing on where Internet technology is heading and the dangers that lurk out there for all of us.

Again, this is a "must see film" and I implored everyone take the time to view this film.

As I write about cybercrime and cyber security, I took a special interest in this film. It is far different from the usual fare. In the usual cybercrime movie, there is always the scene where the hacker-hero sits down at a keyboard, begins typing frantically away, then turns to his eagerly awaiting colleagues and says something like, "okay, we're into the Pentagon's computer network". If only life were so easy. The movie may be good in other aspects, but the hacking scenes don't usually hold up.

Documentaries on cybercrime are a bit different. Some of them are quite good, though they often come with an angle. By this I mean that they are not really trying to be objective, they are trying to make a case. In The Deep Web, it is clear early on that Alex Winter has an angle. The angle is that the deep web, the Silk Road, and Ross Ulbricht have provided a valid, honest service that does not undercut social values and, in fact, may have re-invigorated them. On the surface, this might seem like a difficult case to prove, but, to his credit, Winter does a remarkable job.

Winter portrays the deep web as a new cyber nation where anonymity, freedom, and relief from the burden of government surveillance can thrive. It is, or can be, the true libertarian utopia. Although the film is hyped as being narrated by Keanu Reeves, he actually has a limited role. This is more of a marketing ploy than anything. In fact, a significant part of the film is carried by "consultant producer" and Wired magazine writer, Andy Greenberg. Greenberg was the first person to actually interview Ulbricht when he was only known as Dread Pirate Roberts. He believes that Ulbricht was sincere in his libertarian philosophy and truly felt that an open drug market would reduce the violence that was connected to illegal drug use. You'll have to decide for yourself if Greenberg and Winter makes a good case for Ulbricht or not.

Winter does try to balance his pro-Ulbricht stance with interviews of various law enforcement officers connected to the case. There is some good and somewhat rare footage here of interviews with Ulbricht's lawyer, Joshua Dratal, Ulbricht's parents, and some of Ulbricht's friends and admirers. There are even some home movies of Ulbricht himself that show he was more than just a drug dealer looking to make quick money. The one interview lacking is the one of Ulbricht himself.

The crux of the film, at least for me, was the insinuation that Ulbricht received, to put it lightly, something less than a fair trial. He makes you wonder about two key points: the objectivity and competence of Judge Forrest and whether or not Ulbricht was railroaded. At times, Winter makes you wonder if there was not some sort of collusion between the prosecution and the judge; they just seemed to work so well together. Again, you can decide this for yourself.

If there is one weak point in this documentary, it is trying to portray Ulbricht in too positive a light. I have read his Tor chats, even the ones he released after his sentencing to show that he was not only concerned about making money. From these alone, you can see that Ulbricht is not the aw shucks, golly gee, kid next door that Winter makes him seem to be. In short, like everyone, he has his positive and negative characteristics. That said, this is a good documentary and one that should be watched.

I would recommend The Deep Web to everyone, even those who do not know much about the deep web, Ulbricht, or cybercrime. Winter makes the viewer consider the basic values that have created America and whether they have been dismantled to build something other than a free society. It could be that the Ulbricht trial was the crucible in which these fundamental American values were put to the test. Overall, The Deep Web is a first-rate documentary. Go see it. It will certainly give you a lot to think about.

Greetings again from the darkness. Even those of us who consistently obey the law have a general idea of how criminals work: robbing banks, stealing cars, kidnapping people, even hacking websites for personal information. Additionally, the vast majority of us have at least a rudimentary understanding of how the internet works, and the steps we take to increase security. Documentarian Alex Winter combines these two topics as he takes us inside the deep web … specifically Silk Road on the Darknet.

The Surface Web vs The Deep Web - the film exposes what most of us have very little knowledge of. The simple explanation is that the "surface web" is what we use on a daily basis: Facebook postings photos of our latest meal and YouTube video sensations showing cats fighting their mirrored reflection. The Deep Web is what lies beneath. This is the (mostly) untraceable technology where the underground marketplace site known as Silk Road exists. To be clear, most of the ongoings on the deep web are legitimate and in good faith – used frequently by journalists. However, the other side is how it obtained the nickname "ebay for Heroin". Yep, untraceable transactions for illegal drugs definitely happened (and still do). It turns out that Bitcoin is the ideal underground currency for this commerce, as it can be as untraceable as the drug orders.

You might recognize the name of director Alex Winter as half of the classic movie duo in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989). Mr. Winter released a documentary a couple years ago entitled Downloaded, where he explored the rise and fall of Napster and the effects of downloaded music. This current topic is much more dangerous and secretive, and he wisely brings along his old buddy Keanu Reeves as the narrator. Winter's approach here is initially a bit confusing, as the focus seems uncertain – is it a tell all about the deep web, or is it a profile of Silk Road, or is it an analysis of the arrest and subsequent trial of possible Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht? Most of the attention goes to Ulbricht, better known as the Dread Pirate Roberts (DPR), a pseudonym snatched from the classic movie The Princess Bride. Is/Was Ulbricht the DPR? Winter is content to leave that mystery unsolved, but the real story here is how the government put the case together against Ulbricht – fabricating charges (later dropped), circumstantial evidence, and a probable breach of privacy.

The general belief is that we should have a free and open and secure internet, though most of us never stop to think what a ludicrous demand that really is. It's the lack of privacy and ease of breach on the surface web that led to the development of the deep web – an anonymous and mostly secure environment. At least it was until the government went hard after Silk Road. Shutting down the non-violent drug transactions justified the law enforcement and political attention that the drug wars along the border never have. Is this a good thing? Is Ulbricht the DPR? Does it matter that after his arrest, his void was quickly filled by other opportunists? Do you believe you are secure on the web? Winter presents an exceptional amount of information that deserves even more discussion and explanation. That alone makes it time well spent.

Not heading to the Wizard of Oz, although I guess you will see a lot of colorful things if you go down that road. Actually it's a site where people sold drugs. But it was more than that. Sticking it to the man, making the public aware of how vulnerable we all are and how our privacy is being squashed everyday.

Unfortunately it is actually more concerned of uncovering the Silk Road thing and the trial that commenced out of it, than diving into the deep (web). So the title may feel a bit misleading, nevertheless an intriguing movie to watch. So if you are not too obsessed about learning what the Deep Web is (it might be too technical anyway), this movie delivers as a documentary. Some questions raised are really important! Let's see where we go from here ...

The underlying message in this documentary is about seeking peace and avoiding violence... why do they interview and portray in a favourable way Cody Wilson, who, as far as I get it, is commercializing a DIY printable gun? Cody also speaks highly of Ross Ulbricht, whose goal seems to be eliminating the use of force in society. This contradicting aspect of the documentary I really didn't get. Having said this, Ulbricht's story seems heartwrecking and it doesn't sound like he had a fair trial.

Not just about The Silk Road, but also how government and media conspires to continue the hopeless War against Drugs, which itself perpetuates the breakdown of society and affects all our lives.

An interesting and informative documentary. I'm glad they kept it technical, allowing for a lot to be learned about the subject. It's not just a documentary on Silk Road but one about the impact on people's lives afterwards, and of course the future of the internet we currently use.

The beginning and end of the documentary is strong and it was great to hear Keanu Reeves doing the voice-over work. The middle part was what lost me a bit, and probably could have been cut, but would leave the film short.

Some English major took the time to read the related Wikipedia pages. Than he read some of the blog footnotes. And boom! The guy is knowledgeable enough to talk about something that does not exist. There is nothing deep about the web. And there is nothing hidden. There are quite a few "hidden" networks in the Internet. And many intranet pages in local networks, that aren't on the Internet. Rehashing blogs seems to be good to get you good reviews through confirmation bias, in other words you scratch my back meaning I want to believe X and I will scratch yours meaning I will call you an expert. But rehashing blog pages does not mean knowledge.

Contact me with Questions, Comments or Suggestions ryitfork @ bitmail.ch

If you want a story of digital crime and punishment in the 2010s, and some background to help demystify these headlines, Deep Web is the right documentary for you.

The director is Alex Winter. That's right, the actor who played Bill in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. Oh, and Keanu Reeves narrates. Seriously. That might make this enterprise sound silly, but Winter and the producers did an exceptional job of rounding up not only passionate dissidents but law enforcement officials involved in the case, ultimately presenting a spread of perspectives.

I have a rule. I rate documentaries with: 7 if it is great. 6 if it is good. 5 if it is less than good.

The reason is: Docs have lower ceilling and higher floors, because they are all at least an extensive view/opinion on something (even if it is morally or factually wrong), and at most they are all edits of real life (no matter how long the doc is and how factual it is, there is subjetivity and therefore not the real thing).

Ok. Keanu Reeves is the voice-over for some reason. He does a good job (why wouldn't he?). This one is good, because it is informative but it asks questions of the official story. The subject matter is interesting in and on itself (basically, freedom and justice), but the guys behind the doc doesn't watch and tell, they make an effort to give you more without answer for you the question "it was this fair or there is more behind this than "break the law-prison"?".

First of all this movie deviates away from its title. There was some layman explanation about the deep web to set the stage for Ulbricht's story but the title should have been different as it misleads the reader.

Secondly I think Winter did a good job with suspense as I felt I was attracted to the course of events and there were some unexpected turns such as the imprisonment for life in the Ulbricht's case.

The big downfall is the one-sided stance that Winter took in this movie painting the government as the ones to blame for the victims of the drug war and that it is Ulbricht's idea that should be used as a substitute for drugs on the street! It does that and also includes a story of a minor who purchased meth from the deep web so the movie kinda contradicts itself! it only sides with Ulbricht's story and is not able to give the full picture! it sounds very like a pro anarchism pro free will movie that assumes all people are good!

I think Winter should consider doing another movie to clarify what led the to life sentence for Ulbricht if he is to be an unbiased ideology-free director.

I was interested in watching a documentary explain the constructs and concepts of the Dark Web. However what I was presented with was the case breakdown against Dread Pirate Roberts(DPR) and the Silk Road Drug Trade. This would have been okay if they had spent about 15 minutes on this, instead the documentary trawls through parents, friends of DPR and the case construct, interviews with law enforcement and senators blah blah blah...I was bored after 20 mins and just fast forwarded to the relevant bit of which there was not many.

This documentary is really about DPR and Silk Road. Not about the Dark Web, Tor or Hacking.

As I've checked many services, even blockchain based, don't really provide people the offered privacy and attract many crimes. I'm using Utopia p2p now and hope it will be a way out for those who simply doesn't want to share personal data with 3rd parties.

If you're looking for a movie about the Deep Web. This is not the movie for you. It was more about a guy getting screwed over by the government. It was nicely done and made it's point. But it never answered anything about the deep web. I was hoping for something other than the stuff that you can find on the web or you tube videos. As far as the government's war on drugs it's never going to win. People that want to get high are going to find a way to get high. It's just like if someone wants someone else dead it's going to happen and you can pass 1,000,000 new laws and it's not going to change a thing. I made my first rifle when I was 8 and that was without the Internet. Just a Public Library and the Dewey decimal system.

Well, it's been pointed out before, but: This is not a movie about the deep web, not about the dark net, not about TOR, not really about Silk Road either, but about Ross Ulbricht aka Dread Pirate Roberts (DPR), who was allegedly the man who set up a trade platform called Silk Road on the dark web, which was mostly used for trading (illegal) drugs. Using DPR's account, several murders were ordered and paid for, and there is some controversy whether this done by Ulbricht or by someone else using the same account. If it was, Ulbricht has failed to identify them.

For about 30 minutes, this documentary does a good job of narrating the story of Silk Road and Ulbricht, and was pretty informative to me as I didn't know the particulars of this story. For the rest of its running time, the movie turns into an emotional plea for Ulbricht because Silk Road was somehow a tool for eliminating drug-related crime, because TOR could potentially be a tool for promoting democracy in dictatorships (although, in reality, all it seems to be used for is trading drugs), and because his mum and dad don't think their boy could have done such a nefarious thing.

The movie is fair enough to admit to the fact that, despite Ulbricht claiming that he was framed and that he was not the chief Operator behind Silk Road, he had kept a detailed log about his activies with Silk Road.

Should be called "Free Ross Ulbricht".

I particularly didn't enjoy self-styled cypherpunk Amir Taaki spouting pseudorevolutionary BS.

This documentary is not about the deep web in general, but rather more tightly focused on The Silk Road and Ross Ulbright trial.

Like all documentaries based on this subject it gives you clear instructions of how to go on the deep web using Tor and buy drugs using Bitcoins. The reporters always claim its for educational purposes but I don't see why anyone needs a step by step guide on how to buy drugs online unless they really want to do that. I think this is wrong and can only be harmful.

Youtube is full of documentaries and guides like this that claim to be educational in order to prevent them being taken down.

If the media hadn't blown the lid on the Silk Road, there wouldn't have been heaps of school kids buying drugs who didn't know about it before. FACT This is a documentary you do not want your kids to see.

So I haven't wrote a review yet but this movie this movie needed a review! I felt it my moral responsibility to warn others of the pain watching this move will inflict on there soul!! I love movies every type I'm a movie nut, I also enjoy found footage movies I've seen good ones and BAD ones but this wow!! So I've never been so bored in all of my life there is no effort in this movie what so ever no real story nothing compelling just nothing!! A guy roams round with a camera and sets out to bore you to tears with such a monotone voice no acting experience what so ever and the charisma of a rotting grape the main guy is just sooooo dull!! How this film rates a 7 is beyond me! No story no plot no entertainment just nothing I would rather watch 2 hours of static would be ten times more entertaining!! I'm not going to do a full review with details I'm just going to warn everyone AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!!!! If I could put minus I would've! Run for the hills save yourself. Director man go back to directing school learn some stuff and don't return untill you can capture and captivate your audience. Don't belive your reviews awful awful awful! On a plus note if you need to go to sleep fast this is the movie for you however you may go to sleep depressed! 😝