Film Review: "Shiny_Flakes: The Teenage Drug Lord" (2021).

"A Netflix documentary". This is Shiny_Flakes: The Teenage Drug Lord. This German documentary film directed by Eva Müller and Michael Schmitt. Maximilian Schmidt aka Shiny Flakes reveals how he built an online drug empire from his childhood bedroom in the true story that also inspired the series How To Sell Drugs Online (Fast).

Maximilian Schmidt, better known as his online persona Shiny Flakes, started his own internet drug empire from his boyhood bedroom, and his life story is the subject of a feature-length documentary film. In February 2015, Maximilian, then nineteen years old, was arrested for distributing drugs worth 4.1 million euros over the course of fourteen months. German law enforcement has reportedly been unable to access two Bitcoin wallets associated with Schmidt, so they still don’t know where the bulk of the money went. In August 2015, Schmidt admitted to his offenses after his arrest and was given a youth sentence of seven years due to his emotional immaturity. Vice reports that Maximilian made two critical mistakes that ultimately led to his arrest by the Leipzig Police. First, he sent a package to the wrong address, and when it was returned, the courier discovered cocaine inside. The other was that he always dropped off his packages at the same post office, which was conveniently positioned near his home and was monitored by surveillance cameras. After his arrest, authorities took control of a number of Maximilian’s belongings, including the computer on which he ran his business and which included information on thousands of his customers. After the police gained access to Schmidt’s computer, they located the database, leading to the initiation of more than four-thousand criminal investigations. Because of this, Maximilian was called as a witness in hundreds of trials involving people who claimed to have purchased narcotics from his website, many of which he attended while out on day release. In June 2019, after serving just over half of his seven-year term, Schmidt was released from jail. The new alleged crime committed by Maximilian Schmidt is the subject of an ongoing inquiry. In August 2020, a narcotics bust occurred in Leipzig, where several people were detained. In March 2021, a new inquiry into Schmidt was opened when it was discovered that he was suspected of being one of several people behind a new drug-selling website.

Eva Müller and Michael Schmitt's revealing film exposes the player and his methods in the modern German drug trade that was literally conducted in his own bedroom. At nearly two hours, Maximilian Schmidt (appropriately) doesn't know when to stop talking, but as a chronicle of a teenage drug kingpin, it's both entertaining and just about definitive. There's so much compelling material here, all of it salacious and dangerous and so enjoyable that you might just feel a little guilty afterward. The film is gleefully manipulative -- which is meant as a compliment. Edited for maximum impact, it packs the furious momentum and dramatic punch of a riveting feature film.

Simon says Shiny_Flakes: The Teenage Drug Lord receives: