From Rachel With Lev

 Monday, September 23rd, 2024

My Dear America:

Certainly with Rachel Maddow's successful track record it is not surprising that "From Russia With Lev", her latest project and the first movie that she has ever produced is a Blockbuster.  Rachel is one of the most reputable Journalists working today and has been for several years.  She started out on "Air America", which was what I consider to be a pretty good attempt to create a Left Wing Talk Radio Network back in the day to try to compete with all of the Right Wing Talk Radio Shows that seemed to dominate the airwaves.  When MSNBC began to veer to the left Rachel began to show up on Keith Olberman's "Countdown" Show on MSNBC occasionally.  This apparently led to Rachel helming her own show on MSNBC for many years.  Although her show was on MSNBC every weeknight for years she finally got a multimillion dollar contract with the NBC network that allowed her time to do her show only once a week and allow her time to work on other Progressive Projects.  She has produced, in addition to a few best selling books more than one incredible podcast series and most recently "From Russia With Lev", her first movie.

The star or more accurately the Antihero of her first Documentary movie is Lev Parnas.  Parnas has been described by Rachel as "Charismatic" and I would have to say after watching the movie that I agree with her assessment of Parnas.  In addition, Lev's wife, Svetlana, is very much an important and an attractive character in this movie.  

The movie delves into the background of Lev Parnas, who moved to the United States when he was four years old from Odessa, which is now in Ukraine.  Lev's full story is rather complicated but is simplified somewhat by the movie.  Lev Parnas was a small time mobster associated with the Russian Mob for some time.  Almost by accident Lev found himself on the inside of the Donald Trump Administration partying with Trump and Rudy Giuliani and others.  Although Lev's wife, Svetlana was also dazzled by the high life in Trumpworld she began to see that Lev was sinking more and more into the Trump Cult World and tried to get Lev to extricate himself from a situation that she rightly felt was not going to turn out well.

Svetlana was right and although Lev and his partner Igor (Yes, Igor for God's sake) with the blessing of Trump and the orders from Rudy Giuliani went to Ukraine to dig up dirt on Joe and Hunter Biden things didn't go well.

Although Lev and Igor were arrested and jailed for their efforts on Trump's behalf, when Trump was asked about Lev and Igor, Trump claimed that he didn't know them.  Rudy also ran as fast as he could away from Lev and Igor, as well.

Lev's story reminds me a lot of Michael Cohen's story.  Before Lev was jailed for Fraud by Trump's Attorney General, William Barr, he was a Trump True Believer but a little time in the Hoosegow seems to have smartened up Mr. Parnas and he now clearly sees that his life in the Trump Cult was not what he thought it was.

Lev Parnas has fully abandoned the Trump Cult and proudly states that he voted for Joe Biden in 2020 and clearly will never vote for Donald Trump ever.  

Lev Parnas is one of those countless individuals who hitched their life and their dreams up with Donald Trump only to have their life shattered.  Lev is one of the lucky losers who may have gone to jail but who smartened up as a result.  He is lucky that he has a family that still loves him and forgives him for his foolish attachment to a man who seems to have destroyed nearly every individual whose life he touched.

And speaking of Forgiveness, the last scenes of this movie features Lev Parnas tracking down the wherabouts of Hunter Biden and genuinely apologizing to Hunter in person for the pain that Lev feels that he caused Hunter by his efforts to dig up dirt on Hunter and Joe Biden in Ukraine back in the day. 

Lev admits that He found no evidence of Wrongdoing in Ukraine by Hunter and Joe Biden. 

While I think that it was incredible that Hunter agreed to the filming of Lev's obviously heartfelt apology, Hunter sincerely advised Lev that he was proud of Lev's honesty in trying to make things right.

I think that Rachel was on the money when she spotted the awesome story that could be told by Lev Parnas.  She and her partners in film have told it and released it at a time when it really might do some good.  

"From Russia With Lev" is a truly powerful film about a truly extraordinary man who went through some things that changed him.  The film has a lot to say about how easily it was for Lev to become a Trump Cult Follower and how he managed to figure out how little Trump cared about Lev when he was no longer useful to Trump and Giuliani.

Lev Parnas may not be the most lovable character that has ever been featured in a movie but he is certainly one of the most fascinating and interesting characters that I have ever seen in a movie.  

I would certainly recommend that anyone interested in voting in the Presidential Election in November should definitely see this movie.  

If you are a Rachel Maddow Fan you will not be disappointed with this movie.  

I doubt that Rachel will ever make a movie that will be as important as this one should be to any 2024 Presidential Voter. 

Bravo Rachel and Bravo Lev.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher