"Greed is good." The most famous line in Wall Street became a mantra for corporate America, and none heeded it more passionately than the fat-cats at the head of energy colossus Enron.

By fair means and (more often) foul, head honcho Ken Lay and his lieutenants Jeff Skilling and Andy Fastow did whatever they could to ensure that Enron's stock stayed in the stratosphere.

It didn't hurt that 'Kenny Boy' was as thick as thieves with another great American institution: George Bush and Son, Purveyors of Fine Presidencies.

With plenty of political clout and no qualms about cooking the books, passing blame, and gambling with other people's money, the Enron guys were indeed the smartest in the room. For a while.

Any company which gambles so often and never loses is bound to arouse suspicion. Yet when people like Fortune magazine reporter Bethany McLean started to ask simple questions, Stilling and co had few convincing answers.

McLean and fellow journalist Peter Elkind add insightful commentary to Alex Gibney's film, which is based on their book The Smartest Guys In The Room.

The complex and potentially dull workings of the stock market are unravelled plainly and entertainingly with testimony from experts and former employees, news footage and astonishing audio files.

We learn how 'mark to market' accounting allowed Enron to concoct hugely inflated profits and keep shares soaring, and how it made millions while contributing to California's energy crisis in 2001.

So it's great to see the greedy, arrogant sods squirm.

Gallingly, many of them still made a packet whilst the livelihoods and investments of their unwitting employees were wiped out in an instant. (It also sank the Arthur Andersen accountancy firm.)

Awash with drama, tragedy and black humour, this is the story of a corporate Titanic that went belly-up morally long before it did financially.

Best keep your cash under the mattress, because Enron's not the only one.

Elliott Noble