Actor-turned-filmmaker Ben McKenzie (author of the 2023 book Easy Money) makes a remarkably self-assured directorial debut with this brisk, absorbing documentary exploring the hype and hazards of cryptocurrency. What begins as a lockdown-era curiosity for McKenzie soon evolves into a seriocomic quest in the spirit of Roger & Me, with the director securing face time with industry power players like FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried and Celsius’ Alex Mashinsky for some remarkably candid conversations. Threaded through all of this, however, are human stories of everyday people left holding the bag after their dreams of crypto fortunes collapse—such as a Texas contractor who sheds tears upon losing his life savings. Guiding the audience on this journey, McKenzie’s tone remains skeptical without ever tipping into cynicism. Instead, he delivers a film that’s clear-eyed and timely while also serving as a captivating primer for anyone still trying to wrap their heads around what crypto actually is. —Zaki Hasan
Ben McKenzie
Ben McKenzieshot to fame as an actor on the television series The O.C.(2003–2007) before going on to other projects, including the films Junebug (2005), 88 Minutes (2007), Some Kind of Beautiful (2014), and Line of Duty (2019), and the series Southland (2009–2013) and Gotham (2014–2019). In recent years, McKenzie has become an expert on cryptocurrency. His documentary directorial debut, Everyone Is Lying to You for Money, is an outgrowth of his journalism on the subject, which includes the 2023 book he co-authored with Jacob Silverman, Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud.
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