Falciani’s Tax Bomb – Doc/Fest 2015 Review

The opening credits of Falciani’s Tax Bomb look like Wes Anderson made Catch Me if You Can. Much like the rest of the film, it’s a stylish little sequence that ultimately doesn’t really tell you anything.

Hervé Falciani is a fascinating figure, the Edward Snowden of the financial world, and the debate about privacy in banking deserves to be had. Unfortunately, the film mostly ignores Falciani in favour of a series of talking head interviews with a series of uniformly boring economists. On top of this, Lewis’ plodding Panorama-style narration does little to lighten the mood.

Stylish graphics and slick presentation fail to enliven this dry documentary about tax evasion. It’s an important subject, but the film reveals nothing we haven’t already seen on the news.

RATING: 2/5

INFORMATION

DIRECTOR: Ben Lewis

SYNOPSIS: This investigative documentary delves into the story of enigmatic whistle-blower Hervé Falciani, who stole highly sensitive client data from HSBC leading to the biggest banking scandal in history.

Sheffield Doc/Fest 2015 runs from June 5th-10th. Tickets are still available, and One Room With A View’s coverage will continue throughout the festival.