Director: Adam McKay
Starring: Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, Marisa Tomei, Rafe Spall, Jeremy Strong, Byron Mann, Karen Gillan.
Where to start, I love the movie, excellent story telling! But it has made me hate myself a little. Which, is in fact a good thing. To not feel anything about this movie would be not to care about the matters of facts of life.
I don’t think the film strictly goes out to attack the bankers, and really just tells a story of how a selected, unconnected few discovery a fraud so BIG it blinds the average joe to what is actually going on.
I felt stupid at parts but all is explained in great fashion, using real celebrities to give you a brief 2 minute, easy to understand explanation. I felt like I should know what’s going on but really, who here, who’s not in finance, banking, taxes and accounts actually finds this stuff enjoyable?
Perfect casting, with each role played incredibly well. And the quick scene interludes instead of a narrative is brilliant, bringing a sense of humour to the film whilst still maintaining its seriousness.
Many might overlook the director, as for me it’s a surprising great! Completely different from what Adam McKay has done previously. Yes, the director that brought us the legendary Ron Burgundy, Step-Brothers and The Other Guys. You could almost imagine Will Ferrell being his alter ego.
It’s long, but informative, entertaining and doesn’t lose its momentum, even though at parts you expect it to. Some parts almost feel like it’s a documentary, a really good one. Ultimately, this is a great film, especially for fans of fact rather than fiction. Definite must see for an education.
Running Time: 8
The Cast: 9
Performance: 9
Direction: 9
Story: 9
Script: 10
Creativity: 7
Soundtrack: 8
Job Description: 10
The Extra Bonus Point: 10 for the quirky interludes and narrative style AND it being Adam McKay.
89% 9/10
