Movie Review: "Margin Call"

Margin Call

Directed by: J.C. Chandor

Starring: Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, Paul Bettany,
Demi Moore, Zachary Quinto, Simon Baker, Stanley Tucci
Rated: R for language

The critically acclaimed, low budget film Margin Call, written and directed by J.C. Chandler, doesn't tell some great narrative or depict a historical character; it simply puts a somewhat fictitious face to the people who began the great mortgage and financial crisis of 2008. The movie follows key players within a financial firm during the 24-hour time frame that they discover that their company is built on a house of cards that is about to topple. As the word is spread through the chain of command, characters reveal, not necessarily why thy got into this mess, but more how they'll get out and how they justified doing so. One of the key moments is when the head of the sales floor, played by Kevin Spacey, asks the company's CEO, played by a brilliant Jeremy Irons, if he understands what he is about to do. Irons retorts back with the same question. "I'm telling, you this is it. This is it," he exclaims, emphasizing how ethics fly out the window when you come to the end of the race. Although we as the bourgeois act as if we don't understand this mentality, we are really no different; when faced with particular problems, human nature resorts to selfish survival tactics that throw ethics to the dogs. Margin Call may have not been much in terms of a story; it's slick editing and quick dialog is sure to lose those whom aren't too familiar with market terminology. It does boast a terrific cast which includes Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, Demi Moore, Zachary Quinto, Stanley Tucci, Paul Bettany, and a bone-chilling Simon Baker. And while it certainly brings to light the beginnings of the financial crisis, it more so depicts the essence of human nature and how, when one elevates oneself over society, ethics become amoral.