New Netflix Documentary Explores Causes Behind Two Boeing 737 Crashes

A chilling new documentary exploring two high-profile Boeing 737 plane crashes that took place within a matter of months is out on Netflix now, with many viewers saying they were left 'speechless' and 'enraged' by the powerful film. Watch the trailer here: 

Downfall: The Case Against Boeing delves into the the ‘negligence and corporate greed' behind the two devastating crashes – one in October 2018 that saw a Lion Air flight plummet into the Java Sea, killing 189 passengers and crew, and a second that followed just five months later in Ethiopia, killing 157. 

Billed by the streaming service as a ‘searing investigation of a once-iconic company and its tragic failures’, the film exposes how Wall Street’s influence and Boeing’s ‘crumbling internal culture’ resulted in two historic plane crashes and the 346 combined fatalities – along with a ‘shocking cover-up' that followed. 

A synopsis reads: “In the chilling documentary Downfall: The Case Against Boeing, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Rory Kennedy uncovers the negligence and corporate greed that led to two Boeing MAX 737 plane crashes within the span of just five months. 

“Guided by aviation experts, news journalists, former Boeing employees, the United States Congress, and the families of victims, the film reveals a culture of reckless cost-cutting and concealment at the once-venerated company. 

“A fierce indictment of Wall Street's corrupting influence, Downfall exposes larger questions about the perils of America’s corporate ethos and the staggering human cost. Directed and produced by Rory Kennedy. 

“Produced and co-written by Mark Bailey. Executive produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard.” 

After watching the documentary on Netflix, where it's currently in the UK Top 10, many viewers have expressed their shock and anger on Twitter.

One wrote: "Takes a lot to shock me when it comes to corporate greed but the Netflix Boeing documentary has left me dumbfounded."

Someone else said: "As a wee aviation geek, I already knew many details of the mind-blowing corporate malpractice going on at #Boeing that led to the two fatal #737-800MAX crashes. Still, the new @netflix documentary #Downfall left me even more speechless, wondering how on earth is it possible."

A third tweeted: "The new @netflix documentary about #Boeing737Max gives me proper chills!!!"

Another added: "we're joining the enraged many watching the Boeing documentary. There's just a whole lot of us staring at each other with jaws dropped and exclaiming 'OH MY GOD'"

The film - which premiered at Sundance - also already has a respectable rating of 91 percent on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, with a review from Variety's Lisa Kennedy saying: "With the eloquent testimony of family members; aviation industry experts; former Boeing engineers and quality control employees, plus a squadron of commercial airline pilots — including, arguably the nation’s most trusted, Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger — director Rory Kennedy not only builds a case against Boeing but offers an object lesson in the tragic consequences of corporate greed and hubris."

Noel Murray from AV Club also reveals how we're given 'helpful insights' from past Boeing employees and air travel experts 'including hero pilot Chelsey "Sully" Sullenberger', adding: "Downfall isn’t so much 'the case against Boeing' as it is the case against an economic system where doing whatever it takes to boost the price of stocks for shareholders matters more than the longterm health of the corporation in which those shareholders are actually invested. This is a cautionary tale about what happens when companies start selling a name instead of the goods and services it’s supposed to represent."

Watch Downfall: The Case Against Boeing on Netflix now.