★★★★☆ | Cullen Hoback’s documentary is an entertaining watch, and uses the same tactics as a crime drama to keep his suspect hidden until the very end.
Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery created a huge splash when a trailer was released by HBO, with the documentary promising to finally unmask Satoshi Nakamoto.
It’s a film by Cullen Hoback, who says he first became interested in BTC seven years ago, concerned about the dangers of digital surveillance.
At 100 minutes long, it’s a chunky watch — and given its debut on a mainstream channel, has to walk an awkward tightrope between serving two very different audiences.
For those who know little about Bitcoin, there’s nifty graphics explaining how blockchains work, and a concise but elegantly written canter through the cryptocurrency’s 15-year history.
There’s also clever use of archive footage from TV shows and films, with BTC mining illustrated using a scene from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory where a golden ticket is found.
But the real aim of this documentary isn’t to explain how Bitcoin works — that’s been done before — instead, the goal is to identify its pseudonymous founder.
And in explaining why this is so necessary, Hoback argues that Satoshi’s stash of one million BTC makes it a matter of urgency as crypto becomes integrated with traditional finance, as there could be mass panic if these coins are suddenly spent.
