Downfall: The Case Against Boeing: A Heartbreaking Look at Greed

In 2017, Boeing unveiled their new 737 MAX airliner and began rolling it out worldwide. One year later, the first of two crashes of this fleet occurred and, following the second crash, the entire line was grounded. The public wanted to know what caused these two very similar crashes and what would be done to prevent them from happening in the future. Downfall: The Case Against Boeing takes all the information accumulated over the last few years, explains it all neatly, and paints a scathing picture of what happens when corporate interests intersect with passenger safety.

This documentary is split into two parts. The first is an explanation about what was different on the 737 MAX line compared to previous iterations of the 737 are. This is an important part of the movie because what the MCAS system is and why it needed to be implemented on the line in first place is something that the average person who is reading about this on the news would not understand. A standard news story on the topic would not have the time or space to tell the full story and explain it, but this documentary takes the time to explain it, not just verbally from pilots and aviation experts, but also through the use of animated simulations and other visuals for deeper understanding.

The second part is an explanation as to what happened within Boeing over the years that led to the creation of the 737 MAX, the creation and implementation of the MCAS system, the obfuscation of the system from regulators and airlines who were buying the planes, and the ensuing investigation into what happened within Boeing. The documentary works hard to not editorialize about what happened in the same way that a witness in court would not be allowed to editorialize if they are not an expert witness. The documents largely speak for themselves and firsthand accounts from within Boeing paint a picture about how the culture within the plants changed as executives became more concerned with the stock price over the safety of the planes.

The documentary is decidedly pro-government, going out of its way to represent politicians across the political spectrum in either a positive or neutral light. It displays the FAA as a governmental organization that was, at best, misled by Boeing and displays members of Congress such as Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Representative Peter DeFazio of Oregon as equally outraged at the actions taken to cover up the events. It is an interesting approach to take considering Boeing’s rank as the 14th biggest spender on lobbyists, so to say that the government is somewhat blameless feels slightly disingenuous.

This documentary is definitely worth a watch for anyone who has grown desensitized with the way that corporations are running the country. It clocks in at under two hours so the time investment is not huge and, as should be the case with a good documentary, viewers will walk away having learned something new. The movie is watchable on Netflix at no additional cost.

Final Rating 8/10