Review of The Big Short (2015) by Luca B — 03 Jan 2017

So after the events of the economic crash we all know that the banking industry got away with it and that the people who should have been locked-up as a result are actually still in power and giving themselves big fat paycheques.

The thing is, if you are anything like a normal person, you probably don't really know how it all happened and why it wasn't seen coming. After watching The Big Short, I feel better informed about the why and just plain angry about the how.

A star studded cast play a variety of financial insiders who each realise that the US economy is on very shaky ground and each start to bet against the housing market. The movie is funny and jaw-dropping, directed in a slick and knowing manner with a number of characters breaking the fourth wall to explain what is going on.

I thought that Steve Carell stood out here and I'd say that this is the best performance I've seen him give. It is also nice to see Brad Pitt give a more understated performance than usual. I'm not sure whether the people portrayed in this movie are heroes or villains.

The funds that they managed all did well out of the chaos that ensued and actually, as one of the little guys, it doesn't feel to me as though much in the banking industry has changed as a result.

However, these people were at least railing against a system that was riddled with corruption and greed. It was a system that was built on a lie and has largely remained intact.