Margin Call

"Be first. Be smarter. Or cheat."

2011 1h 47m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 2,206

ThrillerDrama

Synopsis

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Set in the high-stakes world of the financial industry, involving the key players at an investment firm during one perilous 24-hour period in the early stages of the 2008 financial crisis. An entry-level analyst unlocks information that could prove to be the downfall of the firm.

“Be first. Be smarter. Or cheat.”

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Cast

Kevin Spacey
Sam Rogers
Zachary Quinto
Peter Sullivan
Paul Bettany
Will Emerson
Jeremy Irons
John Tuld
Simon Baker
Jared Cohen
Penn Badgley
Seth Bregman
Demi Moore
Sarah Robertson
Stanley Tucci
Eric Dale

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: J.C. Chandor
Writers: J.C. Chandor
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $3.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 5.6× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 15 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by J.C. Chandor, shot by Frankie DeMarco. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Nathan Larson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Pete Beaudreau shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Kevin Spacey and Zachary Quinto and Paul Bettany carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Be first. Be smarter. Or cheat.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

J.C. Chandor directs. Frankie DeMarco behind the camera. Nathan Larson scores. Pete Beaudreau cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $3.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 5.6× over at the box office.
3Released 15 years ago.
4Directed by J.C. Chandor, shot by Frankie DeMarco. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Nathan Larson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Pete Beaudreau shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Kevin Spacey and Zachary Quinto and Paul Bettany carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Be first. Be smarter. Or cheat.".
9IMDB entry: tt1615147 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 12 themes, including "capitalism", "brokerage", "wall street", "based on true story".
11Released under 13 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Frankie DeMarco
Original score: Nathan Larson
Editing: Pete Beaudreau
Production design: John Paino
Costume design: Caroline Duncan
Makeup / hair: Mindy Hall
Sound: Damian Volpe
Stunt coordinator: Manny Siverio
Runtime: 107 min · 1h 47m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $3,500,000
Box office: $19,504,039
Return: 557% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Margin Call (2011)

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J.C. Chandor

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What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-07-13
★ 7/10
When "Eric" (Stanley Tucci) is let go from his risk analysis job on Wall Street, his successor "Sullivan" (Zachary Quinto) soon realises that the firm is sitting on a time bomb that could cost them all their jobs. He brings it to the attention of his boss "Will” (Paul Bettany) who in turn shares with "Sam" (Kevin Spacey) who quickly alerts “Cohen” (Simon Baker) and before we know it, the helicopter arrives bearing chairman "Tuld" (Jeremy Irons) who hastily convenes a 3am meeting to discuss their options. What now ensues is a tautly directed observation of venality and self preservation that is really compelling to watch. Irons is way better than usual - indeed his plan to basically on-pass their debts to their unsuspecting clients as if they were getting a great bargain seemed almost reasonable. Spacey comes across well as his conflicted sidekick who at least has some semblance of scruples, and there's also quite an engaging effort from Penn Badgley ("Seth") a young man whose dreams of wealth and success are about to get throttled before they really begin. Sadly, Quinto is not a very versatile actor, he has a look (akin to bewilderment) that he offers to the camera - but that's about all, which is a shame as his character is actually quite crucial as this story progresses. This film doesn't really have a beginning or an end, but offers us an excellent glimpse at just how some people can put a smiley face on deceit and still, somehow, come out intact. This is a much more subtle and menacing look at just how the 2008 financial crisis started, at how some people - even at the last moment - believed it could be manipulated to their advantage, and is really well worth a watch.

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