Margin Call (2011)

In 2008, Eric Dale (Stanley Tucci) was working on a report about serious financial issues at a New York investment bank when he was laid off.  On his way out the door, he offered a thumb drive to Peter Sullivan (Zachary Quinto), a junior member of the risk management team and offered the warning to 'Be careful.'  Sullivan was a rocket scientist who found that the pay was much better in banking.  He spent the evening working on Dale's research and filling in gaps that required his technical skills.  The results were grim.  Though it was late at night, he called his supervisor, Will Emerson (Paul Bettany).  Emerson reviewed the data and called his supervisor back to the office.  Sam Rogers (Kevin Spacey) called in Sarah Robertson (Demi Moore) and Jared Cohen (Simon Baker), who in turn summoned the CEO, John Tuld (Jeremy Irons), at 4 in the morning.  The mortgage-backed securities were a threat to the bank's solvency.  Could the bank divest itself of these worthless securities before the market discovered what Sullivan's research had determined?

The story takes place over a 24-hour period, giving a glimpse of how the 2008 Crash unfolded.   Where The Big Short gave a view of the overall crash, this looks at only one bank and its efforts to avert bankruptcy.  The characters don't get a lot of development as there are so many.  Quinto is playing Spock here, an analytical character who provides advanced knowledge with which his superiors will make decisions.  Yes, a role he had already perfected.  Bettany is a charming rogue and the top trader at the bank, something of a cynical nihilist.  Strangely, he is a rock upon whom both juniors and seniors rely.  Impressive.  Kevin Spacey plays the manager of the trade floor and the man who must sell worthless securities before the market realizes they are worthless.  Can he do that?  Is that ethical?  Jeremy Irons dominates when he arrives, offering insight on how an investment bank survives and what justifies dumping worthless product on customers.

Highly recommened.

Baby Driver

The movie opens with a band of bank robbers in the getaway car.  Baby (Ansel Elgort), the driver, wants to know how long they will take at which point he chooses a song on his iPod that will take that long (reminded me of Hudson Hawk, which had burglars who also kept track of time by song lengths).  Griff (Jon Bernthal), Buddy (Jon Hamm), and Darling (Elza Gonzalez) rob the bank and jump back in the car.  And then the chase begins.  Baby is a magician at the wheel of a car, able to drift through the narrowest of gaps and perform hairpin turns that leave pursuers in the dust.  After successfully dodging the police, the crew meet Doc (Kevin Spacey) and the money is split.  When the others have left with their cuts, Doc confiscates the majority of Baby's cut and says they will be even after one more heist.  Orphaned before he was 10, Baby lives with a deaf cripple named Joe.  At this point, he mostly takes care of Joe though Joe serves as a constant conscience for Baby to go straight.

 

The movie is non-stop fun.  All the driving stunts were done by actual drivers rather than through CGI animation.  As Baby is constantly listening to music, the soundtrack is front and center through most of the movie.  The humor is great but not forced.  The bit with the Michael Myers mask was awesome.  Jamie Foxx is outstanding as a crazy, violent criminal.  Even so, his over-the-top performance did not diminish the calm certainty of Jon Hamm, who proved to have less bark than Foxx but a lot more bite.  Kevin Spacey was good but he just had a supporting role.  He managed to be friendly, funny, and menacing at the same time, a neat trick.  Lily James positively glowed as the love interest.  She had that same effect on Downtown Abbey, where she became the center of any scene thanks to her vibrant smile and joy of being.  Paul Williams as a weapons dealer who lists the various guns like they were tender cuts of pork was quite funny; there's a character that would be fun to see in another film or a TV series.  For as much action as it had, the movie does an excellent job of storytelling and character development.  Nothing feels rushed.

 

In most movies about criminals, I have little sympathy for any of them and thus don't much care if they are killed or not.  Not so with Baby.  Here's a troubled youth who might have turned out fine but for taking the wrong car for a joy ride.

 

This is Edgar Wright's best movie since Shaun of the Dead.  Fun movie.  Go see it.