What is Running with the Devil: The Wild World of John McAfee about?

Real-life computer genius John McAfee certainly had a wild life. That’s what Netflix’s new documentary Running with the Devil: The Wild World of John McAfee explores. And it’s all told through raw, never-before-seen footage.

The film was directed by Charlie Russell, with Dov Freedman and Andrew Slater serving as producers. McAfee was a British-American computer programmer, businessman, and two-time presidential candidate for the U.S. Libertarian Party.

In October 2020, he was arrested in Spain, with charges against him stating he’d failed to file his U.S. income taxes for four years. On June 23, 2021, he was found dead due to an apparent suicide in a prison cell near Barcelona after the Spanish National Court authorized his extradition to the U.S.

But even before that, McAfee had to deal with going on the run. And he brought a film crew to record it all.

What is Running with the Devil about on Netflix?

According to Netflix, the film tells the story of the “original computer genius gone rogue.” McAfee is the inventor of one of the most known pieces of software – McAfee Anti-Virus. At his peak, he was worth $100 million. But when his neighbor was murdered, he went on the run.

When he did, the businessman invited a film crew to go on the run with him. With access to hundreds of hours of never-before-broadcast footage, the Netflix documentary shows the time while authorities pursued McAfee. The film shows a “larger-than-life character,” a man who escaped from prison multiple times and claimed to have hacked the world. And all of this is told through revealing footage and interviews with the tech pioneer himself.

Have you watched the documentary? What do you think about the film? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Running with the Devil: The Wild World of John McAfee is now streaming on Netflix.