Margin Call

Not everyone will find 'Margin Call' to their liking. There is no physical action of consequence and the film is fairly serious and humourless, dense with language. Most of the settings are indoor so there is little opportunity for scenic images. The drama involves financial issues that are like double dutch to me.

Nevertheless I enjoyed this film and found it strangely thrilling. The setting is a large financial trading company and as the film opens a slice of the staff is being summarily dismissed. The dismissal is conducted in a cold and impersonal manner. Even as the dismissed staff depart, with boxes of possessions in hand, information is emerging that the ostensibly successful company is on the verge of financial disaster.

Junior staff pass on their findings to their manager who in turn reports the discovery to the next manager and so on up the line. What ensues is a fascinating study of bureaucracy, power play and self interest.

I didn't understand the specifics of the financial situation but I got the gist of an organisation trying to offload its problems and preserve its position. I could see parallels with the Government bureaucracy I worked in for nearly four decades.

What makes this film work for me is its ensemble cast which performs superbly. There is not a weak performance amongst them.