Margin Call

2011 • 107 minutes

About this movie

Set in the high-stakes world of the financial industry, MARGIN CALL is an entangling thriller involving the key players at an investment firm during one perilous 24-hour period in the early stages of the 2008 financial crisis. When an entry-level analyst unlocks information that could prove to be the downfall of the firm, a roller-coaster ride ensues as decisions both financial and moral catapult the lives of all involved to the brink of disaster.

Ratings and reviews

Movie failed to develop the characters or explain much of what lead up to the collapse. The story line lacked sophistication - imagine a group of executives huddled around a computer screen or print out, saying is this correct, who has seen this and what do we do - there's your movie. Oh, and the executives were surprised. The fact that financial institutions invested in and then sold worthless securities is well known but this is the only issue this movie seems to focus on. Kevin Spacey seemed to be the only actor who showed up and tried to bring depth but that may be because he had a bit more to work with.

A highly realistic movie in many ways, both emotionally and in terms of how Wall Street really works. Some of the dialog comes off as stupid at moments because the financial issues have to be simplified for general consumption and a few of the characters are not well sketched out, but other than that this is a pretty masterful ensemble acting job set in the cold, anonymous landscape that is today's financial markets.

Don't waste your money if planning to watch on tv. It's pixel-y on my tiny Droid bionic. On my television, couldn't handle the jumps - wasted $