"Dig me, I'm untouchable."

In a year when our big-screen villains are set to include Darth Vader and a whole passel of invading aliens, it’s hard to believe that the bad guys who inspire the most loathing are in a documentary.

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room tells the story of how the top executives at America’s seventh largest company walked away with over a billion dollars while investors and employees lost everything. It’s a story of how the people who should have raised red flags – the government, investment bankers, auditors – stood by and let it happen.  It’s a story that encompasses strippers and extreme sports and somehow culminates with Arnold Schwarzenegger becoming governor of California. It’s a story that’s stranger, as they say, than fiction.

Director Alex Gibney bases his movie on the book by journalists Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind and lays out in terms that even my economics-challenged mind can comprehend, exactly how and why Enron went wrong. Turns out a lot of greed and hubris were involved, which should surprise no one who’s read any Shakespeare or the Bible.

The story of Enron is a tragedy. It’s a cautionary tale. It will make you sick and angry, or at least it did me. But it’s a compelling story and one I think we all should try to understand. The pension you save may be your own.

Gorilla Pants rating: 3 out of 4 bananas