American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders

American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders
Official poster
Genre
Directed byZachary Treitz
Music byJose Parody
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes4
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Maggie Ambrose
  • Shuli Harel
Cinematography
  • Christopher Messina
  • Brett Jutkiewicz
Editors
  • Sean Frechette
  • Eric Schuman
  • Jay Deuby
Running time48–67 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNetflix
ReleaseFebruary 28, 2024 (2024-02-28)

American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders is a true crime television documentary series about the 1991 death of writer Danny Casolaro amid his conspiracy theories of a supposed international cabal that he labeled "the Octopus".[1] The film follows director Zachary Treitz and his friend, journalist Christian Hansen, as they investigate the Casolaro case. The film was released on Netflix as a four-part docuseries on February 28, 2024.[2]

Plot

The documentary explores an investigation led by Danny Casolaro into what he termed "The Octopus," a supposed conspiracy involving the US government and its covert operations, and the circumstances around him being found deceased in a hotel room. The film discusses the Inslaw/PROMIS software conspiracy theories, the Iran–Contra affair and the 1980 October Surprise theory. Researcher Christian Hansen revisits Casolaro's work and questions whether Casolaro actually died by suicide.[1] Hansen plays Casolaro in the film's re-enactments.[3]

The film features interviews with Michael Riconosciuto, described by Rolling Stone as a "tech prodigy-turned-drug manufacturer and government operative who drops kernels of truth between what sound like madman ravings".[3][1] Also interviewed is journalist Cheri Seymour, who reported being shown a doctored version of the Zapruder film in which John F. Kennedy appears to be assassinated by the Secret Service agent driving the car; Seymour interpreted this as an attempt to preemptively discredit her.[4]

The “Murders” (plural) in the title refers to 5 specific deaths/murders, of people connected thru the central characters in the story: Danny the journalist in Martinsburg, VA, Danny’s longtime friend Paul Marasca at his San Francisco apartment, and 3 people including the tribe’s security manager at the Cabazon tribal grounds in Ca. A couple other characters die at seemingly convenient times along the way, heart attacks etc. Also appearing is the often CIA adjacent Wackenhut Corp., which later became part of G4S Global, who run many of the prison camps built by the current administration.

Reception

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of 12 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "A handsomely produced delve into a truly far-out true crime tale, this American Conspiracy hooks its tentacles into viewers and doesn't let go."[5] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 73 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "What happened to American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders subject Danny Casolaro?". The Independent. March 4, 2024.
  2. ↑ "American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders". February 28, 2024 – via IMDb.
  3. 1 2 "'American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders' Explores Danny Casolaro Death". Rolling Stone. March 4, 2024. Archived from the original on March 4, 2024.
  4. ↑ "The Octopus Murders Creators Explain That Frustratingly Ambiguous Ending: "We're Still Debating. You've Stirred Up a Hornet's Nest"". GQ. March 5, 2024.
  5. ↑ "American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  6. ↑ "American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
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