Three years ago today, tragedy struck in Las Vegas, Nevada when a man shot and killed 58 people, wounded nearly 500 people and left many more with PTSD, making it the deadliest mass shooting in U.S history. Money Machine explores the events that took place that shocking night of Oct. 1, 2017 and how the city of Las Vegas attempted to marginalize the event in order to sustain their image of a fun and carefree getaway.
The documentary begins with first hand footage of the despicable event as well as interviews with a number of survivors. The victims recall attending a country music festival at the MGM venue in downtown Las Vegas just before a shooter from the tenth floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino began shooting down at the crowd.
From then on, the Las Vegas police department and the city did everything in their power to cover up the massacre in order to keep the city and it’s profits booming. This included making the memorial in a low-traffic location far from the site where the massacre took place, dismissing victims’ stories and denying them settlement funds. The subject of the shooting taking place during the reelection year for Sheriff Joe Lombardo also comes into play.
The city additionally neglected to discuss the motive of the shooter, Steve Paddock, which was rooted in hatred for the city of Vegas after he lost all of his money gambling. Money Machine features an interview with the shooter’s brother Eric Paddock as he breaks down what he believes to have led his brother to do such a detestable thing.
The director and editor of the film, Ramsey Denison, had already had his doubts about the Las Vegas police prior to their massacre response. In fact, he even released a film back in 2017 called What Happened in Vegas as a result of his personal experience being brutally beaten by swat team members in the downtown area.
Just in time for the three year anniversary, MGM and the victims of the Oct. 1 massacre recently came to a settlement of $800 million dollars. Money Machine is a riveting film that puts it all in perspective. Honor the Las Vegas Massacre victims by watching Money Machine today.
Money Machine is available to rent on Itunes.
Wonderful review, Blair!You made this doc sound compelling – just enough detail for me to be drawn in and want to watch to see / learn more. Your passion to get the truth out to the public was very persuasive.