‘Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Elliot Spitzer’ Recounts Political Saga

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Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO –“He was going to be our first Jewish President.” This uncredited sound bite from the opening of “Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Elliot Spitzer” may sound like an exaggeration but the great Alex Gibney makes the case that it is not hyperbole and that the public pedestal-knocking that happened to the former Governor was more important than you probably think. Arguably the best year in the history of the documentary continues with another strong film from one of our best non-fiction filmmakers.

Gibney, the director of the amazing films “Taxi to the Dark Side” and “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room,” essentially turns an incredibly confessional and revealing interview with Spitzer into a feature film. He stretches the saga of Spitzer a bit too thin with a nearly two-hour running time that his story really can’t support but this is still a mostly-fascinating film about someone who clearly had the charisma to rise to the top office in the world and the personal flaws to stop him from getting there.

The opening scenes of “Client 9” feel somewhat like a puff piece, almost like something that would air before Spitzer’s new cable show. “Here’s why Spitzer was great!” It’s not that blatant but Gibney clearly likes the guy and what he tried to do in his time in office as Attorney General, painting him as a servant of the little man who took on the causes of minorities, women, and those getting screwed by Wall Street. Spitzer undeniably did an amazing amount of good as A.G. but it feels like Gibney wanted to work from his title and truly portray the rise of the man as meteoric in order to make the fall feel that much more impressive.

Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Elliot Spitzer
Photo credit: Magnolia Pictures

And impressive it was. Gibney doesn’t waste a lot of time before diving into the world of high-priced NYC escorts, conducting interviews with the people who help run it and many of the escorts. In a very, very sad move, he doesn’t get a sit-down with Ashley Dupre herself. It feels like “Client 9” is held back by not having her side of the story. She is ridiculed by fellow escorts for catering to the “poor me” cliché of the hooker but never gets to explain how she handled the story of her lifetime. And Gibney’s film reveals that Ashley and the Governor only met once. They clearly imply that Spitzer used other girls but it’s interesting that the impression that Ashley and Elliot had a regular engagement is untrue. Gibney also hires an actress to convey an interview with a regular Spitzer girl who didn’t want to go on camera. It’s a weird move.

Despite not having sound bites from a key player in the saga and having to use an actress for another, Gibney is tackling way more with “Client 9” than you might expect. He’s not only using the Spitzer rise and the way he took on corporate America as yet another commentary on the evils of “the predatory nature of Wall Street” but he turns the politician’s fall into something nearly Shakespearian in his fall from grace. Elliot Spitzer was a soldier for good taken down by his Achilles’ Heel. (Okay, maybe not his “heel.”) There’s practically an implication that if Spiitzer hadn’t been caught or hadn’t used escorts in the first place that we wouldn’t be in the tough economic times we are now.

Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Elliot Spitzer
Photo credit: Magnolia Pictures

Alex Gibney has directed three-and-a-half films in this year alone (“Casino Jack,” “Client 9,” “My Trip to Al-Qaeda,” and part of “Freakonomics”) and is clearly one of our best documentary filmmakers. He looks at the headlines and watches CNN and wants to bring what interests him to a film audience. We’d be better off if there were more people as ambitious and consistent in the film world as Alex Gibney.

Having said that, “Client 9” is a good but not great entry in his filmography. Spitzer is a fascinating interview subject and Gibney’s directorial ability makes the film about him hum, but it does wear out its welcome and feels somewhat unrefined as it jumps from the boardroom to the bedroom like, well, a New York Governor.

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com