'Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn': Release date, plot, cast and all you need to know about HBO's documentary
Roy Cohn, an infamous and rather controversial figure in American history is the focus of a new documentary on HBO this month. 'Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn' is the only other documentary film made about Cohn that gives an extensive account of his life and death, after Sony Pictures' 2019 film, 'Where's my Roy Cohn?'. Cohn first gained prominence for prosecuting Julius and Ethel Rosenberg in the "Atomic Spies" case, which resulted in their execution 1953.
Here's everything you need to know about the film.
Release date
'Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn' premieres on Friday, June 19, at 8 pm ET on HBO.
Plot
The film delves into the life of the notorious attorney, who had a prime role in the conviction of the Rosenbergs, served as chief counsel to Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s, and was also Donald Trump's mentor and lawyer when he was just starting in the 1980s. He also gained favor in the Reagen administration. The film comprises some newly acquired archival material and footage recorded at the height of his career as a power broker in New York City's business world and politics.
'Bully, Coward, Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn' was featured at the New York Film Festival and Double Exposure Film Festival in 2019. The film mostly focuses on Cohn's years of working with Senator McCarthy in the 1950s
Cast
Roy Cohn
Roy Marcus Cohn was a lawyer and in the later years of his life, a businessman, mostly known for being Senator McCarthy's chief counsel during the Army-McCarthy hearings in 1954, where he assisted in McCarthy's investigations of suspected communists. He was also a top political fixer, that manifested the dark side of politics to conjure an army of callous demagogues. For years, Cohn's sexuality had remained a mystery. However, there is palpable proof that Cohn was a closeted gay man, despite his social conservative worldview.
He was ruthless towards alleged communists and anathema of the left, who claimed to be suffering from the liver disease until the day he died as his health deteriorated. He died in August 1986, at the age of 59, due to AIDS-related complications. Cohn has been featured as a dramatized character in Tony Kushner's 'Angels in America'. In the HBO adaptation of the play, Al Pacino portrayed Cohn.
In 2019, some 750 pages of classified Federal Bureau of Investigation files on Roy Cohn were released which extensively detailed the investigation on Chon for perjury, conspiracy and obstruction of justice. He had allegedly bribed the grand jury with $50, 000 as they probed into Cohn's involvement with the then chief-assistant US attorney in Manhattan to keep several stock swindlers from being convicted in 1959. Cohn was found not guilty after the trial for that case in 1964.
Director
The documentary film is directed by Ivy Meeropol, who ironically happens to be the granddaughter of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, the couple that was convicted for espionage through Cohn's prosecution. The Rosenbergs were American citizens who had been accused of leaking top-secret information about the US' nuclear weapons and were convicted of espionage on behalf of the Soviet Union. They were executed by the federal government in 1953. Meeropol is a director and producer of documentaries for film and television. Her most well-known works include 'Indian Point' and 'Heir to an Execution'. She also served as a legislative aide to Congressman Harry Johnston.
For her latest film, she delved deep to scour out for more details and information about the controversial attorney, who left a rather significant mark in American politics. In a 2019 interview with Women and Hollywood, Meeropol opined on the need to highlight Roy Cohn's story in the current times, under Trump's administration: "I want people to understand why Donald Trump’s relationship with Cohn is critically important, and help audiences to gain a deeper insight into how Cohn helped set Trump on a path that reverberates today. This film is my way of impressing upon audiences that the past is very much present, and we would be wise not to forget how we got here."
Trailer
We will update this space with the official trailer for 'Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn' soon.
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