Review of Margin Call (2011) by Bob L — 01 Mar 2013

This pans out like a play, set in the very early days of the 2008 financial crisis. Stanley Tucci plays a man who can see the fall coming, but gets axed before he can do anything about it for his investment firm, and so lays the groundwork for the most turbulent 36 hours for Zachary Quinto.

With tiers of bosses played by Kevin Spacey and Jeremy Irons, and Paul Bettany in the mix, this is very much like a Glengarry Glen Ross for this current era. If your into spectacle, don't bother. You'll find this too dry.

But the acting stones and character interplay here are very strong, and if you can just hang in there with all the bank speak, it actually helps explain a tiny bit about the pickle we're in.