Director: J.C. Chandor
Cast: Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Zachary Quinto, Penn Badgley, Stanley Tucci, Jeremy Irons, Demi Moore, Simon Baker, Mary McDonnell
Rating: (M)
5 stars (out of 5)
Margin Call (Rialto) is not a documentary re-enactment of when Wall Street tanked, instead it presents an imaginary investment firm that discovers that the numbers no longer stack up and its ruthless manoeuvres to save itself.
We start with a little in-house downsizing of the kind that large firms regularly indulge in. One of those let go, Eric Dale (Stanley Tucci), has been working on something that looks important but when he tries to bring it to the attention of the people glad-handing him out the door they all tell him to forget about it, it is no longer his concern. Almost as an afterthought he hands over a pen drive to his underling Peter (Zachary Quinto) and tells him "to take care".
What Peter finds has him summoning the bank's command structure. The billions they thought they were making are all about to disappear. What follows is a dark night of the soul for those who still have souls, as the firm's exit strategy is hammered out.
Best thing: The snappiest dialogue since The Social Network coupled with the strongest cast since The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
Worst thing: Providing heart-warming back stories for these guys does not make them less culpable.
See it with: All your assets converted into gold bars and buried in your garden.
- Written by Christina Powley.
