I rewatched the movie and there really is a Nakawara calling him. So does that mean the extortion does exist?
...a little fantastic, and fleeting, and out of reach.
Sorry, I don't have an answer for this. But I'm watching the movie now, and I'm curious about the same thing. Hoping my reply bumps this up so someone else who better understood the movie can answer us :).
shareThat's a very good question. So far as I understand it (and I am not an expert) that extortion was not caught on tape, so it's Mark Whitacre's word, and who can trust anything he says? He cooperated with Forbes on a story and then refused to comment when they asked him to clarify facts, including the extortion.
So there is evidence of the price fixing that went on, but this whole extortion story... remember, the extortion story is how he manipulated his boss into calling the FBI (he knew full well they had called in the FBI for other cases of industry fraud, so it was a good bet on his part that they would call the FBI for this). And getting them to call in the FBI was how he got the ball rolling for his grandiose adventure as an informant. Personally, I call b.s. on the extortion attempt. As the FBI said, what kind of extortionist calls once and then never again?
"Everybody could stand a hundred chest x-rays a year."
Personally, I call b.s. on the extortion attempt. As the FBI said, what kind of extortionist calls once and then never again?I agree. According to the film Whitacre was under pressure at ADM to do something about the drop in Lysine profits at the company. I think the whole Japanese deep throat thing was dreamt up by him to deflect attention elsewhere, which it did, resulting in the FBI being called in to investigate. This then gives Whitacre the chance to establish a relationship, but I think deep throat was a hoax.🐭 share