Michael Shields blog XML

“Miracles in every field of human endeavor — except crime”

Goldfinger (1964) was made for $3 million ($21 million in 2008 dollars). Its villain is a man who plots to increase his £20 million fortune by a factor of ten, killing 60,000 people in the process and destabilizing the US economy. This £180 million profit would be equal to £2.7 billion today. If successful, his plot would still stand as the greatest currency speculation of all time (uneclipsed by George Soros’s billion-dollar day), and he would also be responsible for one of the bloodiest days in history.

Clearly this was an ambitious plot. The movie documenting it has since grossed $125 million, and continues to win awards. Crime does pay, but only if you are working at the highest levels.

This was followed by Thunderball (1965), made for $5.6 million. SPECTRE’s plan was to use two stolen nuclear bombs to ransom NATO for £100 million. This plot is far more efficient than Goldfinger’s, since the money would accrue directly to the villains with no collateral economic damage, and mass murder was not required (though they did threaten to destroy Miami). It’s an audacious and reasonably professional scheme.

In 2008, Quantum of Solace was made for $230 million. The villain, one Dominic Greene, aspires to take over a Bolivian utility company and double the rates.

Bolivia is one of the world’s poorer countries. Typically, extortion attempts target the rich, because the rich have money. In 2000, a minor unit of Bechtel attempted to take over and improve a water system in Bolivia and raise rates, which caused months of rioting as Bolivians were unable to pay. As another point of comparison, in 1999, Starbucks was revealed to be a supervillainous plot. Their earnings that year were $101 million, and required little to no risky criminal activity. Focusing on wealthy countries is a successful strategy for both legitimate and illegitimate businesses.

I understand that these are hard economic times, and perhaps Greene cannot afford the death ray satellites, missile jamming equipment, and secret mountain fortresses that villains of the past had access to. However, I think there still must be opportunities for would-be supervillains to set their sights high.

posted at: 2008-11-20 17:12 UTC | permanent link to this entry | comment