It's amazing how much information was able to be conveyed in under 2 hours. I have been following story closely since October of 2016 yet a viewer would be caught up by just watching this movie. I watched twice on Hulu and am anxiously awaiting opportunity to buy on Amazon.

The ominous music and America's favorite boggieman feature strongly in this piece of 'entertainment', because that's what America wants in their 'documentaries'. A continuation of the thrillers and horrors that constitute their media diet. This is without going into the imagined politics of it all. Just take a step back and see what this film shows us about what America wants to see and hear. Russia is the necessary evil, America the great and good, underhanded corruption is rife (This is probably true but always has been on all levels and all sides) and we're scared, so very frightened, & entertained, but terrified,......... The Left verses Right arguments are a distraction, a way of confusing us so we don't have time to sit back and view the picture as a whole. What is actually going on here? We're being played on all sides, and this is just another entry into the war of distraction and confusion. Scare me, please.

What follows just a few highlights from this clear, well researched, and named doc: "Active Measures", an old Soviet term for political warfare by Russian security to influence world events, i.e. weaken Western institutions, weaken democracies, divide countries. Thus democracies will more easily (and less expensively crumble). Putin's mindset is to revive Russia to a renewed glory. He wants to be like Czars of old. He called the collapse of the USSR a tragedy. He started with the KGB overseeing spies/operatives working secretly in the U.S., and elsewhere. Then made the FSB director (successor to the KGB); responsible for internal Russian spying. Then elected President followed by numerous assassinations, imprisonment, banishment of critical journalists & opponents.

The documentary very specifically names & dates Russian Mafia, oligarchs (businessmen becoming billionaires by taking advantage of the USSR collapse),and government officials that lead an influence chain directly to Putin. The doc shows how Russian money laundering took place through cooperative banks, shell companies and real estate investment primarily in the U.S. with the Trump family as major benefactors.

Despite filing 6 bankruptcies to avoid paying what he was responsible for Trump was able to extend his land holdings, e.g. thirty Trump Towers around the world financed by those Russian shell companies. A significant percentage of occupants of Trump real estate are linked to Russia, and frequent flipping of even one condo can launder 20 million for Russian interests leading back to Putin. One link was Paul Manafort paid hundreds of thousands for consultation work in Russia.

Russia's disinformation campaign included UK brexit, Belarus, France, Hungary, Slovakia, Turkey, Georgia, Syria & others to foster conditions conducive to Russian interests. There are now more Russian spies in the U.S. than at any time in history.

D. Trump: "Putin is doing a great job in rebuilding Russia." Eric Trump: "...we have all the funding we need out of Russia." Coincidentally, our changing policies toward historic allies & breaking ties only benefits a future Russia.