Review No.2: Margin Call

So how do you follow a solid drama? With an even more solid drama although in the notes Margin Call is described as a thriller the majority of the film features men talking in rooms. When the opening scene sees Stanley Tucci's Eric being laid off from that investment bank in which he works I thought this would be another film about redundancy such as Up in the Air and The Company Men. Luckily Margin Call veers off into another direction when Eric hands Zachary Quinto's Peter something he had been working which turns out to have dramatic consequences for the company and the economy as a whole. Peter's discovery soon brings in the higher-ups from his boss Paul Bettany to the company's CEO Jeremy Irons as they try to solve the dilemma in which they have found themselves in.

Margin Call is a very intelligent film almost to its detriment as I found myself struggling to keep up with all the financial jargon and the reasons for the economic crash. But at the same time it is a fascinating film looking at the current global crisis from the point of view of the people who handle our money. For example Bettany's attitude is that we've laid our bed and know we've got to lie in it while Kevin Spacey's Sam is a decent man torn about what he's got to do. It also demonstrates that we are a culture obsessed with status and money as is evidenced by people's reactions to their firings and by the youngest team member Seth constantly questioning what everybody earns. The fact the film's timeline is no more than two days means that the sense of drama is heightened which is a good thing as is the lack of a score with most of the scenes simply featuring dialogue. It is hard to single out one person from this fantastic ensemble cast that also features Demi Moore, Simon Baker and Penn Badgely however Bettany's character is possibly the most interesting. This is certainly a great dramatization of the banking crisis my only criticism being that it doesn't always feel like a film more a HBO Made for TV movie but then that's not a bad thing.

Verdict: A well-scripted and well-acted piece which never really grabbed me but never attempts to patronise its audience so it gets an above average 7