Margin Call (2011)

The Very Best

8.6

Movie

United States of America
English
Drama, Thriller
2011
J. C. CHANDOR
Aasif Mandvi, Al Sapienza, Ashley Williams
107 min

What it's about

A thriller that revolves around the key people at an investment bank over a 24-hour period during the early stages of the financial crisis.

The take

A thoughtful drama about the financial crisis, Margin Call is gripping. Seriously, even something as convoluted as the 2008 global economic meltdown is not only accessible and understandable, but it's gripping. Margin Call transports you to the heart of Wall Street, both the financial institutions and the street, literally. It is exciting, well-acted and informative. Uh, also: Kevin Spacey.

Comments

I loved it. I think a lot of the other films about the financial crisis are either documentaries that get a bit lost in the weeds(think Too Big to Fail) or focus too heavily on individual people(The Big Short). On the other hand, Margin Call focuses on how the system reacts to failure. It’s a disaster film with no heroes – there are no clear cut good or bad characters, just grey areas. A realistic but approachable look into the lives of high powered financiers as they scramble to save themselves from a disaster of their own making.

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