Four outsiders in the world of high-finance who
predicted the credit and housing bubble collapse of the mid-2000s decide
to take on the big banks for their lack of foresight and greed.
Director:Adam McKay
Writers:Charles Randolph (screenplay),
Adam McKay (screenplay)
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1 more credit »
Stars:Christian Bale,
Steve Carell,
Ryan Gosling
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See full cast & crew »
Storyline
Four men with formal economy ability knew a financial crisis will occur
in the mid-2000s. They are now trying to bet big on it happening by
using the "credit default swap" innovation working against the CDO
market- where the people that involved in it aren't have a clear vision
about their prospect and still stuck in their greedy attitude. Then,
these men trying to make profit from this situation, which is a very
risky bet- but it's still not impossible. Their eccentric economy
movement represents their ambition, which can bring them glory- or a
very huge loss.
User Reviews
Reviewed by Larry Gleeson. Viewed during the AFI Filmfest 2015.
"The
Big Short," directed by Adam McKay, based on the book by Michael Lewis,
was adapted by McKay and Charles Randolph and made its world premiere
Thursday, November 12, 2015 at the historic TCL Grauman's Chinese
Theater as the closing night film for the latest edition of the American
Film Institute's AFI FEST film festival.
The film's narrative is
driven by four cynical, fringe Wall Street entities disgusted with the
large banking institutions' overriding greed for profits. They make the
decision to capitalize on the ensuing housing market calamity and the
financial meltdown of 2008 upon discovering the market frenzy is being
driven by worthless collateral debt obligations.
McKay chooses to
inject a significant dose of humor in the early scenes to condition the
audience receptors for what they are about to experience. Utilizing the
Martin Scorsese docudrama style in a similar setting with "Wolf of Wall
Street," a strong narrative voice dominates particular moments. Several
of these deliberately break the 'Fourth Wall" in the style of "Wolfie,"
Jordan Belfort, as the characters, including a hilarious cameo by
Selena Gomez, speak directly into the camera to explain the complexities
of Wall Street finance. The overall effect adds additional humor and
adds another layer in creating a sense of authenticity and truth about
the film's subject matter.
After a rather lengthy dizzying, yet
delightful, character introduction, the film picks up pace as the drama
begins to unfold. Dr. Michael Burry, an eccentric financial analyst,
with complete autonomy of an investment fund, uncovers variables in his
economic forecast indicating a massive housing market collapse. He
informs his higher up, Lawrence Fields, played convincingly by Tracy
Letts, of his discovery and creates a financial prospectus. In essence,
he creates a commodity of selling short on bundled mortgages.
The
bankers laugh as they willingly sell Burry all the "insurance" he
wants. Word quickly spreads of Burry's perceived madness in a after-work
cocktail scene. With interest piqued upon overhearing the Wall Street
gossip of the day, Jarred Bennett, portrayed by Ryan Gosling, scoops up
the essence of Burry's move. Soon, he sells a group led by Steve
Carell's all-too-human, Mark Baum to buy in.
As the debacle is in
full free-fall, Baum struggles with disbelief as he and his group have
bet against their own umbrella entity, Morgan Stanley. The final team
that has uncovered the impending financial crisis, made up of two Wall
Street neophytes and veteran Ben Rickert, played by one of the film's
producers, Brad Pitt, also struggles with the imploding financial system
caused by corporate greed and indifference.
With a mammoth cast,
McKay draws on a plethora of talent in the likes of Hollywood A-listers
including Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling, Selena Gomez, Christian Bale, Karen
Gillan Steve Carell, Marisa Tomei, Melissa Leo and Finn Wittrock. McKay
and Randolph create characters with witty dialogue coupled with
complementary cinematography provided by Barry Ackroyd. The soundtrack
carries a similar tone of "Wolf of Wall Street," with a compilation of
classic rock anthems. Nicholas Britell widely recognized for his work on
Steve McQueen's "12 Years a Slave," where Britell composed on set the
on-screen violin performances, work songs, dances and spiritual songs
rarely misses a beat this time out. Much like another AFI FEST 2015
film, "The Clan," Argentina's official entry to the Academy of Motion
Pictures Arts and Sciences Best Foreign Language Category for Oscar,
"The Big Short," musical score is often in juxtaposition to the the
narrative and mies-en-scene adding a deeper visceral quality to the
viewing experience.
In its most basic essence, "The Big Short,"
builds on the visceral truth of Scorsese's "Wolf of Wall Street." It
depicts a not-so-long-ago present where a noble ideal, making home
ownership a reality for Americans, is bastardized by the indifferent
market forces of capitalism. Probably not what Adam Smith had in mind
when he penned his treatise, "The Wealth of Nations." Warmly
Recommended.
