The CEO of UnitedHealthcare is dead. Luigi Mangione might’ve pulled the trigger — but his followers say he pulled off justice.
“Who Is Luigi Mangione?” is one of the most controversial true crime docs of the decade. It’s not just about a murder—it’s about a system, a manifesto, and a man who’s either a vigilante or a domestic terrorist, depending on who you ask.
Trailer for “Who Is Luigi Mangione?”
You Can’t Make This Sh*t Up
- Mangione’s manifesto included a list of 25 health insurance execs he called “economic war criminals.”
- After the shooting, over $1 million was raised online in his defense—mostly from anonymous donors claiming to support “healthcare freedom.”
- Reddit threads began calling him “The Premium Reaper” and posting fan art within 48 hours of the arrest.
Watch “Who Is Luigi Mangione?”
You can watch “Who Is Luigi Mangione?” on HBO Max.
Check the latest streaming options at JustWatch.
Ratings:
- My Rating: 85/100
- IMDB Rating: 4.7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: not yet rated (Users); not yet rated (Critics)
Director’s Note: “Who Is Luigi Mangione?” is directed by investigative journalists Brian Ross and Rhonda Schwartz. They’re best known for digging into high-profile scandals—from political corruption to Ponzi schemes. This time, they use Mangione’s digital footprint—Reddit threads, old forum posts, encrypted chats—to piece together a case that blurs the lines between mental health crisis, conspiracy thinking, and online radicalization.
Release Date: February 2025 (HBO Max)
My Review of “Who Is Luigi Mangione?”
The Setup
Luigi Mangione, 26, a data engineer from Towson, Maryland, allegedly killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel on December 4, 2024. It took 10 days to find him. He was arrested in rural Pennsylvania with a loaded Glock, multiple fake IDs, and a handwritten 17-page anti-healthcare manifesto.
The film opens with eerie security footage of the shooting and then unfolds chronologically—combining interviews, leaked police records, family phone calls, courtroom sketches, and audio clips from the manifesto.
More Highlights from the Doc
- Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty—federally. It’s one of the rare times a murder case involving a corporate executive has crossed into terrorism charges.
- Journalists dig into Mangione’s background: Ivy League grad, no prior criminal record, volunteered at a Baltimore free clinic, once interned at a major insurance firm.
- The doc includes surveillance footage of Mangione buying the weapon legally in Pennsylvania just weeks before the shooting.
- Interviews with healthcare activists suggest Mangione was quietly involved in protest movements for years—never violent before.
- The scene showing UnitedHealthcare board meetings scrambling to increase CEO security is jarring—most wear bulletproof vests under suits now.
Cameos
- Harvard sociologist Dr. Maya Srinivasan breaks down the “social bandit” theory, comparing Mangione to Jesse James and Ned Kelly.
- Historian Eric Foner comments on Mangione’s symbolic role in public discourse on capitalism and modern protest tactics.
- Anonymous FBI whistleblower (voice distorted) claims internal memos warned of escalating threats against healthcare execs for over 18 months prior.
Lesser-Known Details from the Doc
- One sequence shows Mangione’s high school debate coach saying Luigi once won a state title defending universal healthcare—years before he became radicalized.
- Handwritten notes in the manifesto reference obscure texts like “Debt: The First 5,000 Years” by David Graeber and Hobsbawm’s “Bandits.”
- Prosecutors argue Mangione used encrypted apps to stalk his target for weeks—including hotel check-ins and restaurant visits.
- The final frames show Mangione smirking during the arraignment. No remorse. Just silence.
Wrap Up
This doc is explosive—not just for what happened, but what it says about the system. “Who Is Luigi Mangione?” is a true crime time bomb wrapped in political dynamite.
Thanks for reading!
Heather Fenty, Guest Writer, Daily Doc