“Margin Call” (R)
Directed by J. C. Chandor
Rating: 4.5/5
J. C. Chandor spent the first 15 years quietly working on documentaries and commercials, before finally dropping his thrilling feature film debut on us last year – Margin Call. A movie that is totally engrossing, and extremely well-constructed. As a movie that takes place over a short 12 hour span, it’s incredible how much Chandor can pack into his 110 minute film that manages to entertain and fully capture our attention.
Margin Call follows a Wall Street financial firm during the first 12 hours of 2008’s financial crisis. In the wake of a major cutback, Zachary Quinto plays an entry level financial analyst who uncovers the first signs of the crisis after his recently fired boss (Stanley Tucci) leaves him some unfinished research. His superiors, that include Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Demi Moore and Jeremy Irons must now contend with the problem and make decisions that could potentially affect the future of the American economy.
The 2008 financial crisis is one of those events that winds up being a huge media story, but for the life of me I can never understand. Like the DOW Jones Index, or the Kardashians. So it is quite commendable that writer/director J. C. Chandor manages to explain this this crisis by providing an intriguing and deeply human story to it. He presents an astoundingly well-constructed screenplay that fully maintains interest. Probably the most fascinating thing about Chandor is his use of characters, as he finely crafts them to seem all too real. We can associate with most of them, and even those that might seem unfamiliar, he makes damn sure we understand them.
Speaking of the characters, it’s incredible how star-studded this cast is, and it’s even more incredible how well they are all casted. Chandor employs an inspired introduction for each major cast-member, slowly adding more to his thrilling mix, until he’s finally crafted a colorful cast of characters. The entire cast deserves commendation, as they all did fantastic jobs. Zach Quinto shines in the lead role, and he’s supported by another young actor with a surprisingly strong performance in Penn Badgley. In their various supporting roles, Paul Bettany, Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, Demi Moore and a particularly great Stanley Tucci deliver strong performances. The characters wind up making this film, and the actors do their best to make them believable.
Margin Call wound up picking up an Oscar nom for it’s original screenplay, and it is well-deserved. It’s a riveting financial thriller that will stand up alongside classics like Wall Street. It’s an overwhelmingly successful debut for J. C. Chandor.
calvindsilva 