Her-Excellency
Lots of well known actors, yet as most of us know, that isn't always the ingredient for a great movie. This one went a step further, and gifted us with a great story as well.Basically, over a period of more or less 24 hours, you see the inner machinations of a business run by people you may see every day ... who I'd like to think are nothing like real people (but know better). People who deal in gauging the value of, and buying and selling trades and commodities, as easy as they gauge the value of .... and then use or discard, other people.It is taut, purposefully kept at an even pace, and mostly, it is REALLY well acted by most everyone in front of the camera.The reason for my spoiler warning, and why I didn't give it a straight 10, was that as hackneyed or candy-coated as it would have been, I SO would have preferred an ending where Tucci's character, "got his" by having schemed the entire thing up and forcing them into collapse. That would have made me smile for days. Let's face it though, having been loosely based on the market chaos of 2008, and more so, based on the real world of trading and back room deals, who am I to have expected a happy ending for the guy?Lastly, in going through other reviews here, I can't help but think about how different we all are, and how some people understood and could appreciate such a well presented glimpse into board rooms everywhere (not just Wall Street, but across America in the buildings of every large American corporation today), and how others just didn't get it, understand, or care.
JRmf
Heavily understated and implied reenactment of one unnamed firm's involvement in the 2008 stockmarket crash. I have had a bit to do with share trading (was never too good at it) so I know the background of what is being discussed and enacted, but many wouldn't I believe. Even "Margin Call" is never discussed or explained, and a trading screen is never seen in close-up.There is a certain tension in the movie, you do sense something big and terrible on a global scale is about to happen, but you never get to actually see it. What you do see is people who would like to do otherwise (like according to conscience) being bought off because of the Almighty Dollar - yeah f#$k, give me a million and I'll write what you like...6/10
lauragustine
This film presents us with a group of traders who discover that, oops, they may have made a teeny, weeny error and are about to crash the bank, plunge the Western world into recession and cost millions of people their jobs and homes.As they scrabble to save their sorry backsides the film makers clearly hope that the viewer will feel sorry for them. This on the rather thin grounds that: 1. they're all terribly good-looking; 2. they're only doing what they've been told to do; 3. trading and making obscene amounts of money is 'all they've ever wanted to do' (yup, stand back, this guy has a dream); 4. the people they work for are even more hideous than they are.In a desperate bid to extract some sympathy from the viewer Kevin Spacey cries over his dead dog and attempts to flee the impending chaos, only to be reined back in by CEO Jeremy Irons. Mr Irons is allowed to retain his British accent to ensure that the American audience will immediately realize that he is a being of pure unadulterated evil. He snacks casually while Rome burns and offers Kevin a slice of puppy sandwich while insisting he sticks around to make yet more money.Well, these are the people who rule the world, film studios included, so I suppose they have to try to make you believe that they have redeeming qualities. Even if you don't, they all got off Scot free anyway so what you think of them is really of very little importance.
LeonLouisRicci
A Small Film about a Big Problem. It offers an Exceptional Cast, a Minimalist Approach, and a Necessary Account of a Snapshot of "The Day Before", not Unlike the Nuclear Disaster Movie "The Day After" (1983).Not that the Day After this Real-Life Event is any Less Disastrous. Going on a Decade after the Financial Meltdown of the World's Economy the Repercussions are still being Felt and it Feels Like Nothing has really been Done to Avoid Another such Catastrophe. Because Nothing has been Done.It's Business as Usual and the "Crimes Against Humanity" have not only gone Unpunished, it has been Rewarded Substantially. Sure some Fines have been Paid (pocket change), but No Jail Time and the Wall Street Practices that caused the World so much Pain, have Not Changed.This is a Sobering Film about "People" Drunk on "The Root of all Evil", (The Love of Money). It tries to Humanize but these Types have abandon any sense of Humanity long ago. Kevin Spacey's Character is the Only One that has any Love Left in His Heart for Anything with a Heartbeat (A Dog). The Violence in the Movie is Bloodless, the Victim's of the Bloodshed unleashed by these "Suits" are the Nameless Masses Off-Screen and Out of Sight. The Story is a Nightmare. The Script says "It all feels like a dream" and someone answers..."I feel like I'm waking up", but has He, well No. It wasn't a Dream and there are Real People Suffering. That's something that these Types Refuse to take Responsibility. So the Real-Life Nightmare is not about to End anytime Soon.Overall, a Chilling Film and well Worth a Watch.
AD
