Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn
Original title: Bully. Coward. Victim: The Story of Roy Cohn
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
930
YOUR RATING
A look at the life and work of New York power broker Roy Cohn.A look at the life and work of New York power broker Roy Cohn.A look at the life and work of New York power broker Roy Cohn.
- Awards
- 5 nominations
Photos
Joey Adams
- Self - Comedian
- (archive footage)
Peter L. Allen
- Self - Cohn's former driver
- (as Peter Allen)
Maryanne Trump Barry
- Self - Sister of Donald Trump
- (archive footage)
Tom Brokaw
- Self
- (archive footage)
Susan Brown
- Ethel Rosenberg
- (archive footage)
Roy M. Cohn
- Self
- (archive footage)
Alan Dershowitz
- Self
- (as Alan M. Dershowitz)
Richard DuPont
- Self
- (archive footage)
Peter Fraser
- Self
- (archive footage)
Carmine Galante
- Self
- (archive footage)
Mikhail Gorbachev
- Self
- (archive footage)
David Greenglass
- Self
- (archive footage)
Irving Kaufman
- Self - Rosenberg Trial Judge
- (archive footage)
Larry King
- Self
- (archive footage)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIvy Meeropol, the director of this documentary, is the daughter of Michael Meeropol--the older son of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. The subject of this documentary, Roy Cohn, was a prosecutor in the Rosenbergs' espionage trial. Cohn was accused of (but never absolutely proven to have committed) an array of unethical and illegal acts during the trial, including encouraging Ethel's brother to lie on the stand to falsely incriminate Ethel and save himself and his wife. Cohn's actions led to the death penalty for Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Michael and Ivy Meeropol's last name is not Rosenberg because after Julius and Ethel's execution, Michael and his brother were adopted by the activist and songwriter Abel Meeropol, best known for having written the anti-lynching song "Strange Fruit."
Featured review
Propaganda, Inc.
Director/Producer Ivy Meeropol uses her documentary for a dual purpose. First, she presents Roy Cohn as the most horrible human being imaginable - a ruthless, dishonest shyster/fixer, tax evader, deadbeat, thief, and closet gay. She then makes the argument that he used false evidence in the trial that led to the conviction and execution of the notorious spies for the USRR, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg - who happen to be Ms. Meeropol's paternal grandparents.
While the film doesn't go as far as proclaiming that the Rosenbergs were innocent of passing atomic bomb secrets to the Russians, she is arguing that they were unjustly convicted.
Her second purpose, making her documentary oh so timely and contemporary, is to link the demonized Cohn to Donald J. Trump with every bit of archival footage and photos that her researchers turned up. She gives the impression that Cohn mentored Trump and did him and his family many political favors. The message is clear: Roy Cohn and Donald Trump are birds of a feather.
But, wait - actually, Donald Trump is worse than Cohn, because after everything Roy had done for him, Trump abandons him when he is disbarred and dying of AIDS!
In terms of filmmaking, the documentary is a jumble of bits and pieces from an army of frenemies, enemies, and acquaintances until they all begin to feel like repetitive filler. And although we are treated to many clips of the man himself, he proves an elusive quarry.
helpful•1838
- cyamo
- Jun 21, 2020
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Bully. Coward. Victim: The Story of Roy Cohn
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 34 minutes
- Color
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By what name was Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn (2019) officially released in Canada in English?
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