Who would have thought that a movie about mortgage backed securities and their role in triggering the banking crisis and credit crunch would be remotely interesting, let alone worth spending a Saturday night in to watch.
So I was intrigued to see how this potentially boring subject would tackled in an entertaining way in Margin Call, a major new movie to be released on DVD on 12th November. To my surprise, I found Margin Call to be very involving and gripping – all 105 minutes of it.
A tremendous cast including Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons and Demi Moore are all very convincing in their roles as high powered executives in an unnamed financial institution that teeters on the brink of ruin.
It is a young analyst who discovers that the firm has over invested in complex financial derivative products and now has greater liabilities than its assets. Urgent action, during a hectic and stressful twenty four hours of crisis meetings, decisions and executive firings, ensues as the firm twists and turns to survive in the face of impending doom.
The excellent acting and directing makes the action very realistic and believable, so although this is fiction, you can easily understand how real investment banks became caught in a net of financial greed as they developed and over sold complex financial products that eventually triggered the severe financial crisis that is still being felt across the world.
So Margin Call is well worth watching. It grips and entertains you from start to finish and gives a realistic insight into how the seeds of the credit crunch were sown.
If you keep up with my blog, you will know I recently questioned whether going to the cinema is worth it? Have to say for this film, watching it in the comfort of our own living room, with the fire roaring, was at least as good as being at the cinema, if not better!