Review of Margin Call (2011) by Kaarina P — 24 Mar 2013

While the subject matter is extremely important and most likely why the cast is filled with such name stars, the delivery is akin to being boring.

The film is essentially characters talking in a highrise corporate building. There are board meetings, private meetings, people getting fired, etc. etc. While the audience gets a sense of the ruthless nature of high finance... unless you're involved in that industry, it's rather hard to figure out what's going on, what everybody does, who they are, etc. Without those elements easily accessible, the film becomes hard to watch. You manage to get a sense that something bad is going on, but you don't know what unless you understand the lingo.

The camera is very static and not much really happens in the film. There's very little movement as the film consists mostly of dialogue. The performances are fantastic but without delivering a lamens version of the events, it can easily get lost on the viewer.