Review of Margin Call (2011) by Kevin P — 27 Feb 2018

Strengths: The thing that originally drew me to this film was the cast. Talented folks like Kevin Spacey (Sam Rogers), Zachary Quinto (Peter Sullivan), and Stanley Tucci (Eric Dale) line this movie. They're so good, you can't help but be drawn to the screen when they're on, even if the subject matter isn't great. There was a realism about the film that spoke to me. It was the kind of thing that you cold totally see happening in real life. The tension is kept high, despite there being no real action in the movie. It's all about the high stakes and the performances to make this a gripping tale.

Weaknesses: It can definitely be a hard movie to understand. The terminology used throughout is rough to pick up. There are several moments when the characters literally ask for things to be explained in laments terms, and it still doesn't come across too smoothly. Some of the cast felt like they didn't have much to work with, like Demi Moore (Sarah Robertson) and Tucci. I also didn't find much of a need for Penn Badgley (Seth Bregman). He was fine in his role, but it felt like his character was ultimately pointless.

Overall: This reminded me a lot of The Big Short, except it wasn't as good. That doesn't mean this was bad, as I rather enjoyed it. There was some good drama and strong performances that made a relatively confusing story into an intriguing film.