MARGIN CALL

The film strives to give human faces to the oh-so-easy to hate fat cat bankers; it portrays its characters as workaholics who just happen to earn more money than should be allowed and who indulge in a little decadence with blowing-off-steam benders, fancy cars and houses or apartments with coveted Manhattan addresses - filling their lives with material wealth as a way to justify their work hours, habits and means. With this, the film chooses to focus more on the moral implications brought about by actions rather than the financial ones.

‘Margin Call’ also beautifully portrays the black and white of the financial world; the winners versus the losers, the rich versus the poor, those who are in-the-know versus those who aren’t. The characters comes across as layered and multifaceted creatures - while motivated by money and power, they still find themselves at home at night, lonely, drunk and/or snuggled up to their pets.

Chandor takes you up close and personal with every management level in this firm - all the way to the top - and allows the film's audience full access to each and every decision made throughout this 24 hour period - lousy with greed, backstabbing, despair and fear so real you can see the beads of sweat forming on upper lips across the screen.

The whole cast deliver stunning performances, with Jeremy Irons lighting up the screen in his role as John Tuld, the smiling assassin and captain of this sinking ship - a part played with wicked joy and abandon by the Oscar winner. Simon Baker, Kevin Spacey and Paul Bettany lead the rest of outstanding ensemble cast who contribute to the films success and charisma.

While the film seems to flounder a little around the 45 minute mark, it quickly settles into its closing pace and keeps the audience planted firmly in their seats. As a story whose real-life consequences still hang in todays air, the films relevance makes it that much more engaging and enthralling. Definitely a movie for those who felt the punch and sting of the GFC and those still wondering about this too-big-to-fail syndrome.