--- title: "He Lost Millions on a Terrible Car Movie and Helped Crash the Global Economy" date: "2025-09-12" modified: "2025-09-12" authors: - name: "Byron Hurd" job_title: "Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/byron-hurd" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/he-lost-millions-on-a-terrible-car-movie-and-helped-crash-the-global-economy" categories: - "Culture" - "History" - "News" - "People" tags: - "sports car" - "Supercar" --- # He Lost Millions on a Terrible Car Movie and Helped Crash the Global Economy ![Screen Cap From 'Redline']() *\Chicago Pictures\* Remember the aughts, when underground car culture was having a bit of a moment? It was the decade of [*The Fast and the Furious*, *Torque*, and *Driven*]()... Man, remember *Driven*? I sure wish I didn't. I still see that flying manhole cover when I close my eyes at night. But if Driven was bad, *Redline* was worse. And not only was it a spectacularly bad piece of cinema, it also had the benefit of being financed by one of the architects of the 2008 financial crisis: Daniel Sadek, the owner of Quick Loan Funding. Sadek may not be the only Hollywood hopeful to ever lose $18 million making a $26 million movie, but he's alone in having destroyed both a [Porsche Carrera GT]() and a Ferrari Enzo in the process. Well, technically, it was Eddie Griffin who killed the Enzo, but who's counting, really? Certainly not anybody writing [NINJA loans]() in the years leading up to the Great Recession. *Redline*'s B-list cast might have made for a fun racing romp had anybody with a clue been in charge, but it's obvious that was not the case. From the convoluted plot to the lead role written just for Sadek's girlfriend, it should have set off enough alarm bells to send its production staff running in the other direction. But Sadek's money was good—at least at first—and his lending business was going gangbusters. What could go wrong? As it turns out, the answer is "just about everything." It wasn't just the two wrecked supercars that did it (the Carrera GT was crashed during filming; [Eddie killed the Enzo at a promotional event]()), but they certainly didn't do the already over-budget project any favors. And lest you think we're being clickbaity with the whole financial crisis thing, Sadek's company was holding the paperwork for nearly $4 billion in subprime loans when the bubble burst. He even made Vanity Fair's list of the 100 to Blame for the 2008 Crisis. Granted, he only came in at #86, but his aggressive pursuit of unqualified loan recipients earned him the moniker "Predator Zero." He was so over-leveraged from bankrolling the movie that he was unable to cover the torrent of defaults, and it eventually cost him his business. If you want the full story, watch our video embedded at the top. It's quite the ride. *Got a tip? Let us know at tips@thedrive.com.* ## Author Byron is an editor at The Drive with a keen eye for infrastructure, sales and regulatory stories. He brings a light, punchy style to all of his content, believing that there's plenty out there to be laughed at—himself included. Born and raised in Maryland but now based just a stone's throw from Detroit, Byron is an auto enthusiast and generalist who enjoys building and tinkering with things of all kinds, from cars, computers and digital cityscapes, to the new garage that will soon house his fleet (a CT4-V Blackwing, a JK Wrangler and an NA Miata). Inspired by an early love of rollercoasters, Byron quickly caught the high-performance driving itch. He's been tracking and auto-crossing his cars since 2007. In his downtime, Byron enjoys reading, playing city builders, and studying the history of the Motor City. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()