Margin Call Review - 4 Stars

The crash of 2008 receives the movie it so greatly deserves in “Margin Call”—a tense, backstage drama that confirms your greatest fears. We’ve been had by a few powerful men and women who consider making and losing vast sums of money a game. The plot unwinds early one business day morning as a group of corporate lay off experts move through one floor of a vast financial firm to begin layoffs. Mid-level manager Stanley Tucci gets the bad news and mentions an analysis he insists someone needs to see. Tucci hands the analysis to young associate Zachary Quinto who continues working on it and discovers a frightening scenario: The junk bonds and default mortgages the firm has been buying and selling may bring the entire firm down. Soon that analysis works its way up the line of management until the biggest boss of all Jeremy Irons helicopters in for an all night meeting. “Margin Call” assembles a fine cast, including Kevin Spacey, Simon Baker and Demi Moore, and mentioned earlier Jeremy Irons and Zachary Quinto. “Margin Call” grabs you early and won’t let go—I couldn’t take my eyes off this remarkable drama. Does it deliver what it promises? Remarkable drama. Is it entertaining? Compelling. Is it worth the price of admission? See it—by the way this is available on demand as well as in theaters—a bow to our changing times.