Margin Call
Written and Directed
By: J.C. Chandor
Starring: Kevin
Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Penn Badgley, Simon Baker,
Demi Moore, Stanley Tucci, and Mary McDonnell
Director of Photography: Frank G. DeMarco, Editor: Pete Beaudreau,
Production Designer: John Paino, Original Music: Nathan Larson
Rated: R for
usual office language
Margin Call, a new drama about moments before
the financial crisis from newcomer J.C. Chandor, has timed its release either
perfectly or terribly, depending on how you consider your political
affiliations. In the atmosphere of Occupy Wall Street, Mr. Chandor has crafted
a film specifically about the 1%, the men (and one woman) responsible for
leading our financial situation into a tailspin in the fall of 2008. “Forgive
them Father, for they know not what they are doing,” need not apply to these
guys—they knew exactly what they were doing as they tried to save the company
and their livelihoods.
Modeled similar
to Dante’s Inferno (we head up
instead of down in the corporate world), and loosely based on the collapse of
Lehman Brothers, Margin Call brings
us inside a fateful 48-hour period in a major financial film where bad news is
already on its way. As the film starts, two young associates (Zachary Quinto
and Penn Badgley) look on as HR storms its way into the office, eliminating
over half of their floor, most notably their boss, Eric (Stanley Tucci). As
Eric leaves the office, he hands a flash drive to Peter (Mr. Quinto) and warns
him, “be careful.” A superstar rocket scientist turned financier (for the
money—why else?), Peter quickly analyzes the data and discovers the horror in
the data: their entire assets are worthless, and the loss they hold is greater
than the company’s entire worth.
