By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 5 cats
Director: J.C. Chandor
Starring: Demi Moore | Jeremy Irons | Kevin Spacey | Mary McDonnell | Paul Bettany | Penn Badgley | Simon Baker | Stanley Tucci | Susan Blackwell | Zachary Quinto
Country: united_states
Year: 2011
Running time: 107
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1615147/
Julie says: “Writer/Director J.C. Chandor outdid himself in his first feature debut, MARGIN CALL. The movie (billed as a drama / thriller) while fictional tells a story very close to the truth. It follows the key people at an investment bank, over a 36-hour period, during the early stages of the financial crisis. The acting is fantastic with the most notable performances from Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons and Stanley Tucci. Paul Bettany, Simon Baker, Zachary Quinto, Penn Badgley all put in excellent performances as well. Somehow I was not as convinced with Demi’s performance as I have been in the past but it was respectable. Donn Darko’s Mom, Mary McDonnell had a cameo that was a very strong performance. Even the small parts were very very well done by Susan Blackwell, (hard core HR woman), Maria Dizzia (Executive assistant) to Jeremy Iron’s character and Ashley Williams ‘nice’ HR woman (Chandor’s wife but also an actress). I can see why this was nominated for best ensemble, but this movie has more going for it than just that. The story was intriguing, the directing, production, cinematography and set
design were all flawless. 5 cats”