I just watched American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders (2024), a 4-part Netflix docuseries.
Have you ever wondered if there is a very powerful cabal of high-placed operatives at DOJ, CIA, NSC and even White House? That they are in cahoots with munitions manufacturers, big-time drug dealers, money launderers, and other big criminal enterprises, assassins-for-hire, talented computer hackers, expert con-men and a large cast of various nefarious players?
This documentary full of interviews of key players, supports the idea of such a cabal; it names names and gives details. If you believe it at all, you get a detailed look into the operations of this very powerful very evil syndicate which journalist Danny Casolaro called "the Octopus." However some of the key players agreeing to interviews may be sowing disinformation with a goal of learning what the journalist does and doesn't know.
Or, as some skeptics might guess, is this just a hodge-podge of a dozen conspiracy theories hobbled together with little evidence but interviews of unreliable informants? One reason I find the story likely is the large number of murders the cabal commits. They do NOT need to kil inquisitive cops: their connections at DOJ and CIA can shut any such problem down easily. With lots of con-men and others to use as "cut-outs", the core of the cabal is in little danger. Some of the murders are directed against journalists whose inquiries have gone too far -- and they are given stern warnings before being killed.
The story might begin at any loose end in this huge network of nefarious activity, but in fact it starts in the early 1980's when Bill Hamilton's Inslaw Inc. supplies PROMIS software to the U.S. government. This is revolutionary RDB-based software for law enforcement information and more. The U.S. government steals the software and bankrupts Bill Hamilton and his company. (He might have avoided trouble had he agreed to sell complete rights to PROMIS, but he didn't.) Expert hacker Michael Riconosciuto (a major character in the series) then installs a trap-door in PROMIS, and the U.S.G. sells it to allies and rivals, cheerfully intercepting all their confidential data.
Danny Casolaro was murdered (or suicide?) in 1991 and much of the film is videos made by him or his family. Despite suspicious circumstances his death was ruled a suicide. Thirty years later a FOIA request opened up the evidence box and a witness report is seen stating that a different man entered Danny's room on the night of his death, despite the police report stating he met with nobody throughout the weekend. More interviews, including more with Michael Riconosciuto who just finished a 26-year prison term.
It gets 6.7 IMDB points. I thik it should get more, if only for its historical importance.