Director/Producer Ivy Meeropol uses her documentary for a dual purpose. First, she presents Roy Cohn as the most horrible human being imaginable - a ruthless, dishonest shyster/fixer, tax evader, deadbeat, thief, and closet gay. She then makes the argument that he used false evidence in the trial that led to the conviction and execution of the notorious spies for the USRR, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg - who happen to be Ms. Meeropol's paternal grandparents.
While the film doesn't go as far as proclaiming that the Rosenbergs were innocent of passing atomic bomb secrets to the Russians, she is arguing that they were unjustly convicted.
Her second purpose, making her documentary oh so timely and contemporary, is to link the demonized Cohn to Donald J. Trump with every bit of archival footage and photos that her researchers turned up. She gives the impression that Cohn mentored Trump and did him and his family many political favors. The message is clear: Roy Cohn and Donald Trump are birds of a feather.
But, wait - actually, Donald Trump is worse than Cohn, because after everything Roy had done for him, Trump abandons him when he is disbarred and dying of AIDS!
In terms of filmmaking, the documentary is a jumble of bits and pieces from an army of frenemies, enemies, and acquaintances until they all begin to feel like repetitive filler. And although we are treated to many clips of the man himself, he proves an elusive quarry.
