“Margin Call” takes us back to the financial shenanigans of 2008 and will provide more incentive for the 99 per-centers currently occupying Wall Street. Don’t ask me to fully understand the packaging of worthless toxic investments ( hey, I was an English Major) but I can tell you I was fascinated by the acting skill of the cast: Kevin Spacey as trading boss Sam Rogers, who fully understands the immorality of unloading the bad debt on an unsuspecting market, and a delectable turn by Jeremy Irons as the complicated, deliciously devious CEO of Sam’s, Lehman Brothers-like, global investment firm. The film opens with a chillingly accurate downsizing scene ( think “Up in The Air”) that leaves risk assessor Eric Dale (brilliantly played by Stanley Tucci) out of a job, but before Eric leaves the building he passes a damning file to young risk assessor, Peter Sullivan ( played by co-producer Zachary Quinto). Sullivan and his fellow risk assessor, Seth ( “Gossip Girl’s”Penn Badgley) alert their cynical boss Will ( (Paul Bettany) and the race to avoid financial collapse begins. It all takes place in 24 hours and the dialogue, and the way it’s delivered, became the most important part of director J.C. Chandor’s success here. “Margin Call” somewhat reminiscent of a David Mamet script (“Coffee is for closers!”) with the usual reliance on F-Bombs and sarcasm but the actors, including less sympathetic characters played by Simon Baker and Demi Moore, all handle the the script with  skill and save the film from mind numbing confusion by all English Majors struggling to balance our checkbooks.

Rated: R

My GPA 3.0

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