The world of finance is hardly a rich source for Hollywood magic, especially in these financially difficult times. However, there have been a few gems- the jaw-dropping ‘Inside Job’ for one- inspired by the recent financial crisis. Now the world of independent film gives its takes on number crunching and corporate misdealing in the star-studded drama ‘Margin Call’.
Inspired loosely by the events at Lehman Brothers, the film focuses on a financial company in 2007, just as the spectre of financial doom is beginning to loom over Wall Street. Young risk analyser Peter (Zachary Quinto) is given some data by his outgoing boss (Stanley Tucci) that shows the company is in big trouble, and on the verge of collapse. Realising that their time is up, the ruthless CEO (Jeremy Irons) orders that the people on the ground sell off as much bad debt as they can before people smell a rat, saving their company but ultimately plunging the entire economy into doom. Various different employees deal with this in different ways- Peter and his young colleague cannot believe what is happening; experienced salesman Will (Paul Bettany) sees it as the inevitable outcome of society’s greed, and the head of sales (Kevin Spacey) struggles to come to terms with the moral implications of what his company is about to do.
A financial drama may sound like a dry prospect, and certainly there are few car chases and/ or shootouts in this film. However, what there is will captivate anyone with even a passing knowledge of what happened leading up to the worst recession of modern times. In many ways it’s a morality play- if you could do something to save yourself, but at the massive expense of others, would you do it? In financial terms even the most uninformed viewer will balk at some of the figures being talked about (particularly Bettany’s speech about how ‘easy’ it is to spend 2.5 million dollars), a sign that reveals the sort of greed that led to the crisis.
Whilst the script is sharp, it is the performances that make it. Bettany is a stand-out, filled with bravado as the hungry Wall Street animal now neutered by the system he created, while Quinto effectively conveys the dismay of someone whose dream is crashing around them. Irons plays the CEO as a less animated Gordon Gekko, and gets many of the best speeches. On the downside, Demi Moore is a little anonymous as the head of risk assessment, while Simon Baker simply replicates his role in the mentalist as the cold-hearted head of securities.
If you have no interest in the markets or anything that has lead us to where we are today, then obviously this isn’t for you. However, if you can keep up with the technical terms then ‘Margin Call’ is the best dramatization of this sort around. A well-acted, well written, intelligent ensemble piece.
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