One of the most-anticipated premieres at Sundance Film Festival 2011 was J.C. Chandor‘s financial thriller Margin Call. Boasting a strong cast including Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Simon Baker, Demi Moore, and Stanley Tucci, we saw the world premiere a few days ago.
Depicting a 24-hour period of financial chaos at a massive investment bank, this fast-paced, character-driven piece is well worth your time. While the script can feel repetitive, the impressive cast noted above, all deliver top-notch performances. Oliver Stone attempted to capture a similar event, but failed, with Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. Instead of the expansive, muddled nature of that film, Chandor boils it down to this single crisis, while keeping the focus on the characters at hand. Daniel Mecca and I give our thoughts on the film below.
Lionsgate and Roadside have picked the film up for 2011 distribution.