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Want all the rigor and detail of longform journalism but don’t want to read? Luckily for you, there’s a new installment of FX’s The New York Times Presents to scratch that itch! The Grey Lady’s investigative might takes a look at a major Hollywood mover and shaker whose name, Anthony Pellicano, might seem unfamiliar. But as Sin Eater shows, his impact is far from unknown.
SIN EATER: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
The Gist: Private investigator Anthony Pellicano is the kind of Hollywood fixer who seems like the kind of figure who only exists in the kinds of movies the town produces. But in the ‘80s and ‘90s, the self-proclaimed “Prince of Darkness” was a go-to figure for stars and moguls alike to help bury a scandal or get out of a dodgy PR situation. After gaining notoriety for beating drug charges on behalf of John DeLorean, Pellicano leveraged his deep ties within both the legal and law enforcement establishment to skirt the rules on behalf of his famous clientele. As an audio recording expert, Pellicano’s tool of choice to gain leverage was the wiretap.
Part 1 of Sin Eater documents Pellicano’s rise and reign as he became a reliable lackey for the era’s ruthless leaders like Michael Ovitz, Ron Meyer, and Brad Grey. Part 2 details his fall as he hubristically strove to work for bigger names … and his recent improbable resurgence thanks to image rehabbing by figures ranging from Sam Levinson to Tucker Carlson.
What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Think tales of Hollywood intrigue like Hollywoodland, Hail, Caesar! or The Player about the shadowy figures who keep Hollywood clean. (For fans of audio, Pellicano feels like a character who Karina Longworth could make an entire season of her podcast You Must Remember This about.)
Performance Worth Watching: Anthony Pellicano is certainly doing a poker-faced performance of innocence that’s remarkable for not breaking in spite of the voluminous evidence martialed against him by journalists.
Memorable Dialogue: “If you had $25,000, Anthony Pellicano would give you his honor,” says a Times journalist as the film reaches its conclusion. It’s hard to think of a better way to describe the docuseries’ central figure.
Sex and Skin: There’s plenty of discussion about some big names in Hollywood performing naughty deeds, but it’s only talked about – never shown or recreated (for good reason given some of what Pellicano helped cover up).
Our Take: While much of the last few years in the so-called #MeToo era of reckoning has focused on the perpetrators of grave misconduct, it should not go unnoticed that each of these predators has benefitted from a web of enablers. Sin Eater refocuses the narrative on an open secret in Hollywood. The town runs on an army of people like Pellicano who are willing to commit deeds ranging from the questionably legal to the outright illegal in the protection of a star’s image or interests. The docuseries also sheds light on a culture of corruption within the legal profession which employed Pellicano that was implicated, if not indicted, by the courts. The conniving in the series’ first hour (and who stood to benefit from Pellicano’s work) is more fascinating than the comeuppance in the courtroom drama of the last hour, however, which further complicates matters by introducing Pellicano as a weaver of his own alternative narrative.
Our Call: STREAM IT! From end to end, Sin Eater is a fascinating look at a man who is really only the tip of the spear for a rotten system. Pellicano makes for a perfect documentary subject, both for what he did and what he reveals about an industry that is nowhere near as far from its scandalous heyday as we are led to believe.
Marshall Shaffer is a New York-based freelance film journalist. In addition to Decider, his work has also appeared on Slashfilm, Slant, The Playlist, and many other outlets. Some day soon, everyone will realize how right he is about Spring Breakers.
