MovieChat Forums > Boiler Room (2000) Discussion > Did Seth's father collude with the FBI t...

Did Seth's father collude with the FBI to trick Seth into cooperating?


I've watched this movie quite a few times and really enjoy it and all the great lines..."geez Greg, you show him where the bathroom is yet? The part that sort of confuses me is where Seth's father gets dragged into the caper and stands to lose his judgeship. I prefer to think the writers intent was to have the viewers decide which version to believe: 1) A veteran judge was naive or stupid enough to make a highly risky and incriminating phone call to his son, discussing the IPO scheme, or 2) the judge wanted to get his son out of the firm while simultaneously shutting down the chop shop and bringing all the scammers to justice, but also keeping Seth out of prison...during every viewing I can't help but choose version 2.

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[deleted]

His dad would pull something like that, nice plot!

Spoiler alert for them spoil sports out there! Y'all like spoiled milk, stop crying over it!

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Yes the father set up his son with the FBI. It was the father that set the whole thing up.

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"1) A veteran judge was naive or stupid enough to make a highly risky and incriminating phone call to his son, discussing the IPO scheme"
and made the risky phone call to from his office to J.T. Marlin's landline.
Even if the line wasn't being tapped, what judge would want that on their phone records? So it makes more sense that Seth's dad KNEW the call would be listened too.
Or better still, what Whaledogs said, his dad put the FBI on to him as soon as he found out they were a chop shop (can't remember the timeline but I don't think Seth sees his dad between the FBI being on to him and the "you lied again you SOB" scene)
The idea that they'd target Seth, the newbie, on the basis that "his loyalties dont run too deep" made no sense at all. Jamie Kennedy was clearly an very old friend of his, and being a newbie, Seth really wouldn't be able to give them that much.
Only problem really is why would Seth's dad confront him about working there - he couldn't possibly have known that Seth would come to his office and ask him to go in on a scam with him? (the excuse for the call)

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Being that he is a judge it's illegal for the FBI to use that call.

It make perfect sense for FBI to try get Seth on their side for a start have you forgotten about Abi who he was dating she was already on FBI side.

Seth was asking questions from day 1 and kept being told to be quiet make lots of $$$ so he was never fully in with them.

It makes me wonder if some of you pay attention when you watch movies like this or do they go over your heads maybe so of you should stick to watching superhero movies.

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