Bully. Coward. Victim: The Story of Roy Cohn

2019
TV-MA
1h 34m

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

1.1K

YOUR RATING

Bully. Coward. Victim: The Story of Roy Cohn (2019)

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Documentary

A look at the life and work of New York power broker Roy Cohn.A look at the life and work of New York power broker Roy Cohn.A look at the life and work of New York power broker Roy Cohn.

Director
- Ivy Meeropol
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

1.1K

YOUR RATING

Director
- Ivy Meeropol
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 5 nominations total

Photos

Top cast53

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Cindy Adams

Self

Joey Adams

Self - Comedian
(archive footage)

Peter L. Allen

Self - Cohn's former driver
(as Peter Allen)

Noreen Bahring

Self

Wayne Barrett

Self

Maryanne Trump Barry

Self - Sister of Donald Trump
(archive footage)

Tom Brokaw

Self
(archive footage)

Susan Brown

Ethel Rosenberg
(archive footage)

Roy M. Cohn

Self
(archive footage)

Alan Dershowitz

Self
(as Alan M. Dershowitz)

Richard DuPont

Self
(archive footage)

Peter Fraser

Self
(archive footage)

Carmine Galante

Self
(archive footage)

Ethan Geto

Self

Mikhail Gorbachev

Self
(archive footage)

David Greenglass

Self
(archive footage)

Irving Kaufman

Self - Rosenberg Trial Judge
(archive footage)

Larry King

Self
(archive footage)

Featured reviews

9fitzmary

Disputable excuse for a human being?

Excellent history lesson. An influencer of McCarthy, successfully prosecuted the Rosenbergs, and rubbed elbows with the likes of Barbara Walters, Estée Lauder, Andy Warhol, Cardinal Spellman, Trump, Fat Tony. Endless weaver of connections, always for self-benefit. A cautious tale, more pernicious because it is true.

7tkdlifemagazine

A Good Look At Roy Cohn

This 2020 documentary is a terrific look at this very hated, yet very successful high society lawyer. Cohn got his teeth cut on the Ethel and Julius Rosenberg treason trial and as Counsel to the infamous Joseph McCarthy. Cohn went on to private practice representing such figures as Donald Trump, Fat Tony Salerno, The Gambinos, and the owners of Studio 54. The film is centered around the Rosenberg sham and talks about how this was the basis for the character created to be Roy Cohn, a guy who was well connected but almost universally thought of as a "evil" person. There is great footage, interviews, news clips, and more. A good documentary.

8bysterbusch

Fascinating

An interesting documentary with a caveat that has been too prevalent lately. There appears to be lots of personal opinion and hearsay not necessarily backed by facts. It was, however, very important to bash President Trump.

10jackiee1970

Enlightening in 2025

Well, this is indeed an enlightening documentary given the current state of the USA. Trump has emulated Cohn's playbook. And it's starkly obvious. The amount of corruption in USA politics is nothing new. But it is interesting to see how people can so easily manipulate it using money, power and influence. Cohn was an awful human being. And the people trying to say this documentary is biased or slanted, are the same people who will excuse felons in the White House. This documentary showed how easily people are manipulated. People love proximity to power and to see people openly admit they were friends with Cohn because it benefited them, is just an echo of history we see today. Unless corruption affects them, they don't care. Fascinating.

8Bachfeuer

The rest of the story

The director is the granddaughter of the Rosenbergs. Their execution would never have taken place without Roy Cohn's villainy. Yet, it is crafted with such depth of understanding and refinement that no "disinterested" commentator could have done half as well. It pertains to the 2020 election, and has come along just in time to make a difference. After that, it will stand as a history lesson we will never not need. (Seen at a sneak preview with the director and her dad, Michael Meeropol in attendance. They are inspiring people! )

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Ivy Meeropol, the director of this documentary, is the daughter of Michael Meeropol--the older son of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. The subject of this documentary, Roy Cohn, was a prosecutor in the Rosenbergs' espionage trial. Cohn was accused of (but never absolutely proven to have committed) an array of unethical and illegal acts during the trial, including encouraging Ethel's brother to lie on the stand to falsely incriminate Ethel and save himself and his wife. Cohn's actions led to the death penalty for Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Michael and Ivy Meeropol's last name is not Rosenberg because after Julius and Ethel's execution, Michael and his brother were adopted by the activist and songwriter Abel Meeropol, best known for having written the anti-lynching song "Strange Fruit."