Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich (2020) User Reviews

Opportunity missed

[ukproject · 7/10 · 2 June 2020]

Epstein could not have done what he did without the backing and support of his associates in high and powerful places. In fact it's a fact that strings were being pulled to let him off the hook repeatedly.

It actually sickened me to see the likes of Dershowitz, Ghislaine Maxwell, Clinton and Randy Andy not even having to get on the witness stand, face their accusers and be cross examined. The rest of us get dragged into court for disputing a parking fine or Jay walking. Yet these people were involved in one of the most depraved and cruelest crimes imaginable, robbing young girls of their innocence and childhood and leaving them scarred for life, and their response? A TV interview, a blanket denial and a wall of lawyers trying to make the case disappear or cut deals.

With Epstein gone Ghislaine Maxwell should be targeted for a thorough investigation. She should be dragged in with handcuffs for questioning and forced to appear in court. Until she is cleared in a court of law she is should be considered a fugitive.

Aside from the victim stories, it was disappointing

[Ziggy1965 · 6/10 · 2 June 2020]

4 episodes. 2 should have been used for victims and 2 for digging deeper into the sex trafficking aspect along with involvement of those who are powerful. The real deep purpose of Epstein doing all this is never really revealed.

The most important lines in the whole show was in episode 4 at the 41 minute mark. "This was an international sex trafficking ring. This has reached all over the world. He is a very SMALL piece in a huge network" (my emphasis).

For anyone who would know little about this story, they may come away thinking "it is good Epstein is dead and all these activities are no longer happening". NOT!!

The victimized ladies who were on the inside know a lot more than they are letting on and I hope they come out to reveal much more what they know. Virginia Robers has named the "royal" guy Andrew and Alan Dershowitz, but she said she has been with at least 30 people. Who are they? What about the other girls, who were they trafficked out to? Let's have a REAL investigation here, not just a window dressing, that puts almost all the blame on Epstein and Maxwell. Who really was behind this and financed this whole operation? And for what purpose? To me it appears that Epstein was the "middle man".

Check out Shaun Attwood on YouTube. He reveals a whole lot more. Makes this story look like family viewing.

Great, but there should really be a different category for these ...

[faxanadonts · 6/10 · 28 May 2020]

Allowing the victims to speak their truth is invaluable and thus is an incredibly important service the filmmakers have done buuuutt ... there should be a different category for these than, 'documentary'. This film, the R. Kelly one, the Michael Jackson one are all just basically 5 hour long victim impact statements. To me the term, 'documentary', means someone does the arduous work of zooming out through research research research and more research and then more documents and more research and then presents the facts without an emotional heavy hand leaning one way or the other. It documents. Victim impact statements are one of the most important parts of any story but I'm not sure it should be considered the whole story or 5 hours of it. Overall though, this is impactful and definitely worth watching.

Good

[martinrudolfdejong · 7/10 · 30 May 2020]

Honestly there was more to expose. In my opinion to friendly for the royal, the politicians like Clinton. He was there 20 times. Why this is not investigated and exposed? Was there a warning for censorship?

A strong well produced documentary but....

[LukeCustomer2 · 6/10 · 14 June 2020]

FIrst, I really didn't learn anything about Epstein. There was a little discussion about how he got his money by blackmail and charm but how does one get the Billions that he had? The obvious conclusion is that powerful people will pay a lot of money for sex with the under aged - and they did. I want to know exactly who. But, there was no investigation of how it came to be that Epstien was untouchable. I guess James Patterson doesn't want to end up dead.

Second, I can see why the US Attorney did not prosecute the 2008 case. The bottom line is that many of the victims were not too bright and many took money either via "employment" or just taking cash for what they did. They lack credibility. One goes on about after having being raped she chose to go back again and then introduced her 17 year old younger sister to the gang -- she says, never thinking anything bad would happen to her. I mean, come on, these women would have been destroyed on the witness stand.

I appreciate that Alan Dershowitz came on to explain the legal proceedings and defend himself.

Shows how Epstein preyed on everybody, but didnt go deep enough

[jethrotroll-30807 · 7/10 · 18 August 2020]

This documentary chronicles the horrific nature of Jeffrey Epstein preying not only on adolescent girls, but on everybody he came into contact with. He was the perfect predator who had a keen eye for weakness, knew how to manipulate people and was savvy enough to pull it off time after time. And of course, one can only get away with his pyramid scheme of predation when that kind of ample wealth.

The stories of the victims were generally pretty moving, if not sickening. But, like most of this documentary, it never went deep enough. They did portray many of the victims as being easy targets because of youth or circumstance, but there were some that didnt quite fit that picture, yet they still went along with the scheme. One girl, after repeatedly being raped, even introduced her younger sister to Epstein, and then acted surprised when she learned that he raped her too. There is a deeper psychological issue going on here. Whether it's Epstein's power, wealth, control, or luck. Unfortunately, they never explored this strange phenomenon deep enough.

And this flaw continued in all aspects of this series. They never quite went deep enough to show how a college drop out can land a collegiate teaching job, turn that into a Wall Street position, which lead him to his perfect job: ponzi scheme stock broker. And exactly how did he swindle so much money from Les Wexner? And lastly, how deep does this world wide pedophilia ring go?

The documentary left me with more questions than answers. But, in general, this was a pretty good introduction into the heinous and lecherous lifestyle of Epstein. As time goes by, hopefully more info will come out which will lead to a more detailed documentary on the secretive Epstein and the life he truly lived. One can only hope, because he kept very powerful company, and they have a way of protecting each other. It just feels like there is so much more to this story, as in how the hell can someone get away with this for so long. It really is sickening to see someone just flaunt morality and the law simply because of the size of their bank account. That preferential treatment is almost as sickening as his pedophilia is, because this should have been stopped long ago.

Informative

[SpacemanBob · 8/10 · 29 May 2020]

Interesting, well done series. Especially for those, like myself, who don't know a ton about the case going in. Unfortunately, it leaves so many more questions than answers. i don't blame that on the filmmakers, it's just the nature of this case.

Excellent up to a point.

[safergus · 7/10 · 8 June 2020]

What an evil creep Epstein was, and this documentary covers the rise of this sleaze-ball reasonably well. Where it is lacking is in not EXPLAINING well enough how he got away with so much - several times he was credited with being a great salesman, but that can't be all. There are several disappointing omissions. To name a few:-

• How did he get the teaching job at Dalton (from AG Barr's father, no less - not mentioned here. Why?)?
• No real explanation for the sweetheart deal he got from Acosta in Florida. Incredible deal, that even gave immunity to all his associates! There is a book just in that deal.
• his death. Probably, they were just about finished with the documentary when he died, so the end feels rushed. They cover the doubt about his "suicide" (virtually no one believes it was). Could they have done more digging?
• they didn't really dig deep enough into all his enablers. It was hinted he had "kompromat" on lots of people he provided girls to (they said his house was extensively covered by CCTV, inside & out)
• "collaborators" like Dershowitz were allowed to give their version virtually unchallenged

Very well made, but the analysis & investigation seemed to pull their punches. Were they afraid of lawsuits?

Gives voice to the victims

[marbanks29 · 9/10 · 28 May 2020]

It feels like there's still a lot of information that hasn't been uncovered or at least, hasn't been shown in this documentary, especially regarding other people that were involved. I would assume one of the reasons for that is that the case might be still under investigation, like, what material did they find in Epstein's house? It is said that he had cameras everywhere that would film who was there and what they did with the underage girls. The series mainly focus on Epstein. Because Epstein got a plea deal in his first trial in 2008 and the second trial didn't take place due to his death, the victims had very little or no opportunity to be heard, and when they talked to the press they were quickly shut down (as shown in this documentary). They are given this opportunity now in these series which concentrate more on the victims and their testimonials. We can get at times shocked at their naivety, I know I had few moments where I was shaking my head in disbelief. But it does show how well the victims were chosen due to their very young age and in most of the cases their dysfunctional background. And Epstein and his wife had a long practice of grooming, manipulation and intimidation, they knew exactly how to pick and control their victims.

These are very good series, informative and we do get quiet a lot of information that hasn't been covered in the press before. I also appreciated that the series concentrated on relevant information and are not too long (I've seen some other Netlix series that were overstretched on 8-10 episodes that could have easily been 4 or 5). Although I think we should have at least one full episode about Ghislaine Maxwell alone as she played a huge role in this scandal

Can I get in on what you guys are smoking?!

[Really_Dude · 6 June 2020]

No matter their reasons for being in that situation these girls were minors and are victims of two deeply conniving and charismatic psychopaths.

A monster? Certainly but...

[I_should_be_reading_a_book · 6/10 · 2 June 2020]

...After hearing all the stories, with some of the accompices being legal adults participating willfully into the sexual pyramid scheme and then screaming bloddy murder and this led me to drugs and depression and near suicide several years after the events, you start to doubt more and more the perversion of a cryminal and appreciate more the opportunism and easy seduction by money of most levels of society. It's quite certain that most ordinary folks around the world suspected that the whole of the English Crown is a cesspool, Bill Clinton was a philanderer that was let go with a slap in the wrist (in Mexico he wouldn't even have been criticized, he was cheered actually) and D. J. Trump is also as well, only that he discarded his aging couples as time went by.

To sum, Lolitas beg to be abused but then cry bloody rape when they find could have charged more than the initial $200, and then claim "oh, I was sooo inocent" and "I'm sooo depressed I have to take medications all the time"; predators abound, around them, but in the indolent societies that live with disintegrated families and hedonistic negligent parents, that's wnat happens.

Child, the bogeyman does exist; but then again, GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN!

Epstein a monster? From my outdated perspective, ABSOLUTELY, but I also think he was the natural byproduct of a hedonistic society that has way too much money and cares only about their pleasures but lacks severely in human values.

Thank You Netflix

[bshaef · 9/10 · 28 May 2020]

Good job for exposing Epstein. A couple of things though - why haven't any of the girls mentioned as his accomplices been brought to trial? The Maxwell woman has been brought to trial in the court of public opinion because the New York people she used to hang out with now avoid like the plague but the others are scot free as far as I know. Also, some of the victims made incredibly poor choices. I can understand the underage girls doing so but the older ones I just don't know. The worst being the woman who sent her teenage sister to live by herself in Spain for a year or two.

As an added bonus I will cancel my Vanity Fair subscription. I've read that magazine forever and know they've given bad press to people for much lesser transgressions. I put them in the same boat as Dershowitz.

Donald Trump in trailer, should be Bill Clinton

[The_Swedish_Reviewer · 6/10 · 2 June 2020]

A great documentary but as horrible as it is, left-wing Netflix never misses an opportunity to discredit Trump both in the trailer and in every episode by showing the same picture over and over again of Trump standing next to Epstein, when in fact Clinton went to Little Saint James not only one but 24 times according to the documentary. Trump had pretty much nothing to do with Epstein. Clinton denies he's ever been there but flight records confirms he was a pretty frequent flyer on Lolita Express. And why didn't the producer go after Ghislaine Maxwell and Epsteins sexual abusive "friends" including Prince Andrew harder?

All in all, a very good and important documentary as it gives his victims a voice.

A missed opportunity

[jeppeaandreasen · 4/10 · 28 May 2020]

I was excited when Netflix announced this long format exploration of one of the most far-reaching and depraved criminal-cases in modern time. A case that epitomises modern the power created by massive wealth and nepotism.

With a total running time of almost 4 hours spread over 4 episodes - I was looking forward to a deep dive into Epstein´s character, the host of politicians, judges and celebrities implemented in Epstein´s sex trafficking.

After the first episode, the format gets very repetitive. And by the end of the 4th episode we are no closer to understand who Epstein was, any information on his accomplices, what happened to 20 years of blackmail-material.

In fact, with the exception of a fairly tame interview with Alan Dershowitz and a short retread of Newsnights 2019 Prins Andrew programme - the major players of this huge international trafficking scandal are barely mentioned.

I will give Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich, 4 stars for the brave victims and their stories. But if you were looking forward to a new perspective, new information or any assurance that the guilty people will be prosecuted, this series is not for you.

This is not a documentary - but the victims stories

[flyingholst · 6/10 · 6 June 2020]

There is no doubt about the relevance of these women's stories, and the importance of giving a channel, so every person who has ever experienced sexual abuse, feel that they can come forth. However this is such a missed opportunity to tell a completely different story about this trafficking ring with extremely powerful people. At the same time it is so implied that all these cameras everywhere on his properties has delivered him substantial evidences against so powerful people, which has made him untouchable.

Watch it for the victims stories, but don't expect to get new knowledge or anything else exciting

Sensationalist account of a monstrous conspiracy

[Vindelander · 6/10 · 31 May 2020]

The story is tragic and disgusting but it is hyped up so much that it spoils what otherwise might have been good reportage. Too little research done into the source and real value of Epstein's wealth, too little focus on Ghislaine Maxwell's involvement and what should happen to her. And the network of co-conspirators - what will happen to them ?

I think this documentary should have been sat on for another year until more facts had been uncovered and we get a clearer idea of what further prosecutions will be brought.

FAKE EMOTIONS

[murat_topcu-02879 · 6/10 · 2 June 2020]

One of the victims says: I felt very bad after his abuse. I was so scared. then I introduced my little sister to him. Another victim says: Being harassed was a terrible feeling. then I got $ 200 and went back the next day. then I invited my friends to him. Come on. JE is a monster and I'm very sorry for the real victims, but those in this documentary just want attention and money. And for the records: 17-year-old people are conscious. they are not hypnotized.

Good, but could be more

[danilo_marchiori · 8/10 · 5 June 2020]

This documentary could fallow the track of missed proves. What happened with cameras records of the island, the registers of flights and their passengers, neighboors of his mansions, etc? And About Ghislaine Maxwell, where is she now, they have proves for she goes to jail, she have access to his heritage?

Why the lies?

[TheRealToonamiTom · 1 June 2020]

They try to tie Trump to Epstein, but the only connection they have is a photo they use over and over and the fact that he stayed at one of his hotels once which Trump had kicked him out of once he was aware he was staying there. Clintons flew to his island over 20 times and many other leftist politicians and celebs flew to that island often. Why not delve into that a bit? Hell, Epstein had a huge painting of Bill Clinton on his wall that had bill in a dress and high heels.

Informative But Limited

[ComradWinston · 6/10 · 7 June 2020]

I learned a bit but not much more than headlines could tell you over time. Almost all the focus was on the victims but nearly none was on the victimizers. Bill Clinton's mentioned about once, that Andrew guy gets a few minutes, Epstein's girl-handler's mentioned pretty frequently and that's about it. At no point was I convinced he was a 'charismatic sociopath.' This show only succeeded in portraying him as a lucky liar and creep with powerful friends.

Powerful friends this documentary doesn't seem interested in going-after, for some reason...

Emotionally draining

[eelen-seth · 9/10 · 27 May 2020]

Opening your four-part docuseries with a slide that states "The following series contains graphic descriptions of sexual abuse involving minors, which may be disturbing for some viewers.", sets the tone for what's about to unfold. We then cut to an interrogation in 2012, where Epstein quickly uses his right to plead the Fifth Amendment to get out of some serious questioning, regarding soliciting minors for prostitution. Smiling his way through the questions and using the same answer over and over again, we jump right into the case which all started with a 2003-article in Vanity Fair.

Investigative journalist Vicky Ward is asked to write a business article on "the money manager for the überrich", that leads her into the direction of two victims, who are labeled as survivors, a term that fits every single one of the women speaking out on the abuse much better. We find out this wealthy, but mysterious introvert, has befriended a legion of powerful men, such as Donald Trump, Harvey Weinstein, Prince Andrew and Bill Clinton. (To be clear, although Trump and Clinton were seen hanging out with Epstein, none of the survivors ever accuse them of any wrongdoing considered sexual abuse). When seen at parties, he'd always be surrounded by beautiful women, because "he's a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side", to quote Trump bragging about his good friend.

Epstein was a sexual predator, and he didn't act on his own. His wealthy lifestyle was used to show off and lure underage girls, but his longtime girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell was the one who'd recruit future victims. Ward's original version of the article never saw the light of day, as she and her editor both were threatened and being watched by Epstein and his team. The ominous music playing in the background of every episode works stress-inducing to what's already emotionally draining, while Epstein's accusers are the leading voices sharing their stories on how the abuse started. There was a pattern, but by assembling a network of enablers who helped carry out and cover up his crimes, he was able to get away with all of it until his arrest in 2019.

Epstein came from humble beginnings yet managed to lie and manipulate his way to the top of the financial world. He eventually gained tremendous wealth and power while running an international sex trafficking ring. The serial sex abuser made a secret plea deal with the government in 2008 avoiding a potential life sentence and continued to abuse women.

Lisa Bryant's gut wrenching Netflix Original Documentary Series 'Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich' shows just how vile and abusive the millionaire really was. But what makes the series stand out is the numerous survivors revealing their emotional scars, some even for the very first time. This is not an easy watch. Luckily everything gets wrapped up in only four one-hour episodes and never drags in any way. It does rely on cliffhangers at the end of each episode, which is a bit of a cliché, but that doesn't undermine the strength of the series.

The way both Epstein and his partners-in-crime normalised the abuse that had been going on for years, shows how their wealth put them above the law until justice was served. Psychological profiling by the FBI, never-before-seen plea deals in court and the ways of extorting the government as a way of distracting the public, it's all too crazy to be real - yet it did happen. One of the most powerful scenes is when a phone-interview with Epstein, in which he talks about his behaviour as if it is normal, plays under a series of photos of all the young underage victims sliding across the screen. Chilling and surreal.

'Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich' watches like a true crime drama, taking you from his apartment in New York to his horrific 'pedophile island'. An in-depth investigative report on the monster and his accomplices, that most importantly gives the survivors of his abuse their voice back. A must watch, that will leave you stunned from the very beginning.

The super rich really do what they want...

[jmslittle-74587 · 7/10 · 5 June 2020]

Just finished watching this. It makes me angry that the super rich can literally do what they want without fear of reprisal. Good Ol Jeff makes a sizable donation to the palm beach police department so let's ignore all these reports of young girls going to his house for massages. And when they did get him to court ,he ends up doing a few lousy months with work release every damn day. I cant imagine the police taking so long to convict a regular joe behaving in this manner and with all the complaints and rumours circulating. And dont get me started on the sentencing! How is Ghislaine, Prince Andrew etc still able to avoid punishment when the same witness has named them in the same seedy circles. How can they possibly be innocent? All in all I found this documentary very interesting. I like the way netflix are doing these shows. Unsettling music helps to add to the feel of what a nasty piece of work this guy and his associates really are/were. Did he kill himself? I guess we may never know

Horrifying Doc That Stays With You

[twright-51402 · 10/10 · 28 May 2020]

Vividly detailed account of Epstein's devilish treatment of young innocent girls. This documentary will anger you. It will leave you scratching your head. Hard to stop watching once you start. We already know that the rich and powerful get away with grievous acts. Will this documentary change anything for the better? I certainly hope so. What a tragedy

An incomplete but very necessary look at the worst people in the world

[Ruskington · 6/10 · 27 July 2020]

As much as I dread being exposed to this kind of subject matter, I decided to put myself through this purely to learn more about this incredibly high profile case. Unfortunately, the documentary doesn't really go into enough detail about Epstein himself. Prior to watching it I had no idea how Epstein became rich and what his and public and private lives were like. Having watched it, I still don't really know too much and felt short-changed in regards to the other famous people who may be involved in this disgusting underworld.

The interviews with the victims were incredibly sad to watch. Yes these scenes were drawn out and repetitive but I fully appreciate these women being given a platform to share their experiences. I also felt the show did a good job of keeping things as objective as possible and not playing judge and jury, as tempting as that must be. I sincerely hope there will be some kind of follow-up to this story and that the other pieces of human garbage involved in this paedophile pyramid scheme are put through the wringer.

Missed opportunity

[jennifergonzales-58392 · 2/10 · 2 June 2020]

This should have been about more facts found through the investigation, showing the list of people who flew to the island. The series ran through his death so quickly which i thought would have been quiet an important part. As i know its important to here the victims side, its not what i was expecting to watch. The series should have been called "Jeffrey epstein and his victims".