Big Men

For ventures to succeed, people involved need to behave brotherly as team members for the common good. Yet, when success does happen, which was what all intended, self-interests emerge, and ruptures crack throughout. How to preempt and manage this dynamic in business has to be the master of all business skills.

The blurb talks about greed and motivations. Money is not the only current though. Sometimes it's greed for self aggrandizement and greed for the power to bully other people. Which is sometimes how these kinds of documentaries seem to get sold to us.

Fascinating look at the journey of one small oil company in Dallas and the strike it rich of a life time find of oil in offshore Ghana. The documentaries producers let you decide who are the hereos and villans and its a thriller to see if global financial collapses and presidential changes in Ghana allow the well to go into production. Very absorbing film making.

What you realize once you get into this film at least 30-40 min; is that every side thinks that they are right. There are many sides. You see the story slowly unfold over six years. Even though the deal gets made in the end, it does not end how you want it to. No one seems to get exactly what they want and in the end, but there is billions to be made, so greed is King. It runs slow and the people interviewed seem to choose their words carefully, too carefully, But a great point on greed and power in the world at work in countries where poverty is overwhelming. The Big money companies come in and do the work to cultivate natural resources, Then the governments of these places, get excited when a resource is found and ruin the whole thing with greed and corruption. So they use the people as pawns to fight for more money for the corrupt officials. How could it be welcomed when people see no benefit or change... just get lied to about a better life. It just makes the people crazy to watch the foreign companies and their own governments getting richer, while the people of these poor countries get nothing but injustice and live mostly in poverty while their governments feast off the bounty.

Good movie!

Somewhere there must be a dozen or so people laughing about their fake reviews while they're in line at the bank waiting to cash their checks. This is the worst documentary that I've ever seen and I usually like documentaries. The drivel between actual points makes this film painful to watch not just because of the wasted time but also because the few points that are made are so unimportant that you feel cheated by sitting through the non-points you just watched to get to them. This movie seems like a scam after reading the reviews. I have come to expect nonsense reviews from the dopey tomato guys but the 5 star reviews of the "public" tricked me into wasting my time and my money and my patience! I've taken notes regarding these bogus reviews and I will never trust another review by any of the previous reviewers. Skip this one and don't get ripped off like I did!

The title says it all! Rachel Boynton has captured the complex struggle and strive for power driven by what is inherent in the oil industry on all levels. She also did a great job in capturing the raw backstory of those affected that mainstream media will never touch! Great applause for this work!

This is a stunning film about significant issues: the environment, colonialism and its vestiges, capitalism, and terrorism. The footage is compelling, the interviews are fascinating, and the editing is impressive. Rachel Boynton is a superb director. "Big Men" is riveting throughout. I strongly recommend it.

To be a little cliched, it plays like a thriller. Years in the making, it features Incredible insider footage, from day one of the oil project, and a cast of fascinating characters. An interesting study of major powers, corrupt governments and how big players measure personal success and failure.

For those interested in how the world functions this is valuable viewing. From oil company execs to entrepreneurs, elected officials, tribal kings and armed militias these filmmakers had unusual access and present their content with unusual frankness. There are no saints or sinners in this simple story of a system that fails those most in need. A powerful lesson of how good intentions and poor incentives lead to a failure of social justice. No preaching, no solutions but a succinct portrayal of a problem in how the system works.