Every so often a gem comes along that is so good it defies words. Margin Call is fantastic! With Kevin Spacy, Demi Moore, Jeremy Irons, Stanley Tucci, and others, the film sparkles.
What's it about? The flick is a thinly veiled portrait of Lehman Brothers, back in 2008, on the verge of spilling the beans. The beans: The brokerage company was over-leveraged with bad real estate mortgages. It unloaded billions of dollars of worthless securities on an innocent marketplace, kicking off the recession that still exists today.
Got your interest?
The tone of the film is very David Mamet. Mysterious. Tense. Looming evil. More riveting than a thriller.
I think what I enjoyed most of all was the extraordinary portrait of capitalism. Is our economic system basically each person for him or herself? Does might make right? Do the ends justify the means? In a Machiavellian world, is there room for morality? Is money what our lives are all about?
So: Meet the executives at the firm! Join them as they stay up all night, meeting in groups, to figure out how best to save themselves at the risk of ruining the U.S. Get into the spirit of amoral ruthlessness!
Great, great movie! A+++ A must-see.
Where do you find these? I'll put it on our list. I'll see anything with Kevin Spacey in it.
ReplyDeleteIt just occurred to me what film this is: it's one we've been wanting to see, but didn't know the title. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoy it too. I was very swept away. Amazing tone, tension. Quite a unique piece of work.
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