Mitchell Pacelle

Rosebud. The iconic Empire State Building attracts apes and fools. The building is only a dream, a figment, a red herring and a symbol in this appalling story of a power struggle among the filthy rich, which only benefits the packs of lawyers that feed on the outsized whims and ego of people who are sheltered from being refused when they throw money at a problem. Tiny issues cause giant tantrums (not really appealing to read about). Wealth truly removes most barriers to misbehave.

The funny thing about this story is the effect, globalization has on the local crooks and clans. The free flow of capital across borders injects new players into the local real estate scene who have the money but lack the knowledge to succeed in this new environment. The battle for the Empire State Building pits three New York real estate families (Helmsley, Wien/Malkin and Trump) against a decaying, shifty Japanese real estate mogul and his various offspring. The Japanese protagonists end up in prisons in Japan, France and the United States offering a glimpse into the different choices these countries make in taking care of criminals.

Overall, it's much ado about nothing that only exposes the ugly sides of filthy rich people.… (plus d'informations)