"Collapse" is an eighty minute diatribe by Michael Ruppert, a former LAPD officer and longtime investigative journalist who has been working for years to piece together what he believes to be an imminent doomsday scenario.
The film simply consists of Ruppert sitting in a warehouse whilst he rants at length about various issues. Spliced into his speech are bits of archival and news footage, all of which add spice and evidence to his claims. Those familiar with writings on peak oil, global oil reserves, Ponzi scheme economies, alternative energy, gold etc will be familiar with much of which Ruppert says here, but the sheer energy of his monologue creates a frightening picture nevertheless.
There's currently a huge market for these types of documentaries, which promise jaded audiences a glimpse into some master conspiracy or doomsday prophecy. These docs typically rely on all kinds of audience psychoses, so it's refreshing to see one in which the sanity of the subject is itself the subject. In this regard, the "Collapse" of the film's title refers, not only to the collapse of our society as we know it, but the possible mental collapse of Ruppert. Is he a seer or a madman?
A bit of both, the film seems to say. On one hand, we see the toll Ruppert's line of work and obsessions have had on his body, mind and life, on the other, we accept that this is an intelligent man who knows what he's talking about. Indeed, Ruppert's parents worked in government intelligence and he himself has revealed several government conspiracies in the past (in which the CIA was implicated in a drug trafficking operation and various assassinations), all of which make him one of the biggest whistle-blowers in the world. Combine this with the fact that he was a LA cop, author and investigative journalist, and it seems that Ruppert is a man of standing and worth taking seriously. With his hard-nosed, critical and inquisitive nature, Ruppert essentially comes across as a Philip Marlowe styled private investigator, which is fitting, as what he's doing is battling the very conspiratorial universe of noir.
And yet the sensationalist style of the documentary, itself verging on parody, dares us not to take Ruppert seriously. Dares us to see him as a madman. What "Collapse" ultimately argues is, not only does it take a special madness to be drawn to these documentaries, but that those who reject Ruppert's foresight (ie those lost in denial and upholding false realities) themselves become the madmen if and when Ruppert is proved right.
8/10 - Worth one viewing.
The film simply consists of Ruppert sitting in a warehouse whilst he rants at length about various issues. Spliced into his speech are bits of archival and news footage, all of which add spice and evidence to his claims. Those familiar with writings on peak oil, global oil reserves, Ponzi scheme economies, alternative energy, gold etc will be familiar with much of which Ruppert says here, but the sheer energy of his monologue creates a frightening picture nevertheless.
There's currently a huge market for these types of documentaries, which promise jaded audiences a glimpse into some master conspiracy or doomsday prophecy. These docs typically rely on all kinds of audience psychoses, so it's refreshing to see one in which the sanity of the subject is itself the subject. In this regard, the "Collapse" of the film's title refers, not only to the collapse of our society as we know it, but the possible mental collapse of Ruppert. Is he a seer or a madman?
A bit of both, the film seems to say. On one hand, we see the toll Ruppert's line of work and obsessions have had on his body, mind and life, on the other, we accept that this is an intelligent man who knows what he's talking about. Indeed, Ruppert's parents worked in government intelligence and he himself has revealed several government conspiracies in the past (in which the CIA was implicated in a drug trafficking operation and various assassinations), all of which make him one of the biggest whistle-blowers in the world. Combine this with the fact that he was a LA cop, author and investigative journalist, and it seems that Ruppert is a man of standing and worth taking seriously. With his hard-nosed, critical and inquisitive nature, Ruppert essentially comes across as a Philip Marlowe styled private investigator, which is fitting, as what he's doing is battling the very conspiratorial universe of noir.
And yet the sensationalist style of the documentary, itself verging on parody, dares us not to take Ruppert seriously. Dares us to see him as a madman. What "Collapse" ultimately argues is, not only does it take a special madness to be drawn to these documentaries, but that those who reject Ruppert's foresight (ie those lost in denial and upholding false realities) themselves become the madmen if and when Ruppert is proved right.
8/10 - Worth one viewing.