REVIEW: Margin Call

8/10 - Great movie, great cast, surprising gem.

I don't often find movies that I think are going to be fast paced dramas that will satisfy the adult side of my brain.

Margin Call is an independent movie that peers into the world of the investment banking over a two day period. A very specific two days. It's the tipping domino that sent the US markets crashing in 2008. It's fascinating, brilliantly written, compelling, curious, devastating, and chaotic. 

I often talk about the predictability factor in movies, because to me that can make or break. A movie like this seems to break free of predictability because it's so character driven. I can only presume that the trailer or advertisements would reveal that the story revolves around the stock market crash. I had the great fortune of watching this based only on title and reviews, however the journey becomes clear early on, and that only serves to raise the stakes, instead of spoil the ending.

I am thrilled to see Kevin Spacey, Zachary Quinto, and Stanley Tucci play characters with so much texture go through something morally ambiguous, and deeply troubling. I don't think I've ever looked at an actor playing a corporate banker and initially felt sympathy for them. It's a real testament to the writing to take a movie filled with those characters, and not only make some sympathetic, but to clearly explain what's happening within the company, and make it dramatic. 

Is this movie without fault? No. It takes a good 20 minutes for the story to get in full swing, and I had to push through it to get to the goods. It's also quite depressing, overall. It has a little inkling of being too soon, and hitting too close to home. However, that only serves to push the tension of the movie, so maybe it's good. 

I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who wants to see a good drama. It's engaging and emotional, while being smart and concise.

IMDB - Margin Call
Wikipedia - Margin Call
Rotten Tomatoes - Margin Call (88%)
Amazon.ca - Margin Call