Margin Call
Boardroom thriller following the employees of a large New York investment bank over the opening 24 hours of the 2008 financial crisis. All-star cast includes Kevin Spacey, Demi Moore, Paul Bettany.
"When entry-level analyst Peter Sullivan (Zachary Quinto) 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... an examination of the human components of a subject too often relegated to partisan issues of black and white. A portrayal of the financial industry and its denizens as they confront the decisions that shape our global future." (Sundance Film Festival 2011)
- Director:
- J. C. Chandor (feature debut)
- Writer:
- J. C. Chandor
- Cast:
- Kevin SpaceyPaul BettanyJeremy IronsZachary QuintoMary McDonnellDemi MooreStanley TucciPenn Badgley
Reviews & comments
Solid 4 Stars
Thoroughly enjoyable! I had just watched Inside Job a few days before seeing Margin Call, and it was cool to see a dramatized portrayal already having some insights into what sparked the whole global financial crises. Jeremy Irons is awesome, as usual. Great showing of the corporate world, business structures and management etc. A solid 4 stars and...
Absolutely riveting
Today 6 of us went to "Margin Call", an absolutely fascinating movie seemingly based on the internal workings of Lehman Brothers the night before global markets crashed in 2008. This is a highly entertaining, riveting drama and we probably should have asked John Key to join us for his comments based on his former life at Merrill Lynch. However, it seemed...
Seriously Good
Margin Call is a really REALLY good. I don't know I was expecting when I saw this, but I can honestly say that even after seeing it a few days ago, I am still thinking about it. The acting was superb, there was not a bad performance in the bunch and Kevin Spacey as the finance big wig plagued by a moral dilemma and Zachary Quinto as the young and shy...
Admirable Acting
So, I got too keen to see this movie to wait for it to be released in the cinemas here, so I watched it online. And man, I'm glad I did! I don't actually know a lot about the financial issues this film gets into - but I found that this didn't matter at all when watching Margin Call. I was already a massive fan of Zachary Quinto and Jeremy Irons, and they...
Variety
pressJ.C. Chandor's precocious writing-directing debut is fastidious, smart and more than a bit portentous as it probes the human costs of unchecked greed.
Total Film
pressSteering clear of overt condemnation or adulation of morally dubious characters, this is sophisticated cinema that respects the audience’s ability to follow complex subject matter.
Time Out
pressEscalation is the main thing Margin Call has going for it, as more substantial actors are trotted out to have their way with Chandor's realistic-sounding boardroom dialogue.
Time Magazine
pressMargin Call is smart, but too cool and solemn to raise anyone's temperature. Nonetheless, writer/director J. C. Chandor should count himself the luckiest man in show business this weekend. How many first-time feature filmmakers can truthfully claim that their movie collided right up against the zeitgeist?
The New York Times
pressThe accomplishment of this movie is that it allows you to sympathize with them, to acknowledge the reality of their predicament, without letting them off the hook or forgetting the damage they did.
The Guardian
pressSpacey is watchable as the veteran trading boss, in a state of near-breakdown, who discovers all too late that he has a kind of conscience.
Rolling Stone
pressMargin Call is an explosive drama that speaks lucidly and scarily to the times we live in.
Hollywood Reporter
pressThe first-rate cast cannot be faulted. Chandor has assembled an extraordinary ensemble.
Empire Magazine
pressChock-full of terrific performances, Margin Call is the kind of gripping, grown-up film that these days is usually found on the small screen.
A.V. Club
pressIf nothing else, Margin Call serves as a rebuke to "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" emphatic style - which ultimately glamorizes the profession it means to shame - and brings this dangerous numbers game back to the trading-floor desktops and mahogany-covered conference tables where it belongs. It isn't sexy, but the stakes feel much higher.
Variety
pressJ.C. Chandor's precocious writing-directing debut is fastidious, smart and more than a bit portentous as it probes the human costs of unchecked greed.
Total Film
pressSteering clear of overt condemnation or adulation of morally dubious characters, this is sophisticated cinema that respects the audience’s ability to follow complex subject matter.
Time Out
pressEscalation is the main thing Margin Call has going for it, as more substantial actors are trotted out to have their way with Chandor's realistic-sounding boardroom dialogue.
Time Magazine
pressMargin Call is smart, but too cool and solemn to raise anyone's temperature. Nonetheless, writer/director J. C. Chandor should count himself the luckiest man in show business this weekend. How many first-time feature filmmakers can truthfully claim that their movie collided right up against the zeitgeist?
The New York Times
pressThe accomplishment of this movie is that it allows you to sympathize with them, to acknowledge the reality of their predicament, without letting them off the hook or forgetting the damage they did.
The Guardian
pressSpacey is watchable as the veteran trading boss, in a state of near-breakdown, who discovers all too late that he has a kind of conscience.
Rolling Stone
pressMargin Call is an explosive drama that speaks lucidly and scarily to the times we live in.
Hollywood Reporter
pressThe first-rate cast cannot be faulted. Chandor has assembled an extraordinary ensemble.
Empire Magazine
pressChock-full of terrific performances, Margin Call is the kind of gripping, grown-up film that these days is usually found on the small screen.
A.V. Club
pressIf nothing else, Margin Call serves as a rebuke to "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" emphatic style - which ultimately glamorizes the profession it means to shame - and brings this dangerous numbers game back to the trading-floor desktops and mahogany-covered conference tables where it belongs. It isn't sexy, but the stakes feel much higher.
Solid 4 Stars
Thoroughly enjoyable! I had just watched Inside Job a few days before seeing Margin Call, and it was cool to see a dramatized portrayal already having some insights into what sparked the whole global financial crises. Jeremy Irons is awesome, as usual. Great showing of the corporate world, business structures and management etc. A solid 4 stars and...
Absolutely riveting
Today 6 of us went to "Margin Call", an absolutely fascinating movie seemingly based on the internal workings of Lehman Brothers the night before global markets crashed in 2008. This is a highly entertaining, riveting drama and we probably should have asked John Key to join us for his comments based on his former life at Merrill Lynch. However, it...
Seriously Good
Margin Call is a really REALLY good. I don't know I was expecting when I saw this, but I can honestly say that even after seeing it a few days ago, I am still thinking about it. The acting was superb, there was not a bad performance in the bunch and Kevin Spacey as the finance big wig plagued by a moral dilemma and Zachary Quinto as the young and shy...
Admirable Acting
So, I got too keen to see this movie to wait for it to be released in the cinemas here, so I watched it online. And man, I'm glad I did! I don't actually know a lot about the financial issues this film gets into - but I found that this didn't matter at all when watching Margin Call. I was already a massive fan of Zachary Quinto and Jeremy Irons, and they...
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