If you see one movie this year, it should be "Margin Call". This is a movie that will be shown for decades as the explanation of what went wrong and how the economy collapsed. Yes, it's a bit muted, cold, has zero frills, and the dialogue is far from the Aaron Sorkin snappy chatter that we've grown accustomed to but that's also what makes it work. It's a real world disaster film of our times that succeeds where Contagion and Ides of March failed. It might not be a cinematic masterpiece but it is most likely the definitive film of this era.

In comparison to Contagion and Ides of March, those films each had one fatal flaw. In Contagion, the film followed too many characters. It tried to tackle an epidemic by showing us glimpses of how many people would be affected and that made it seem more like a cinematic lecture of what might happen if a deadly disease broke out. Margin Call is indeed stuffy but it focuses on one firm and one night before the shit hits the fan. It does follow a number of characters but because they are all so closely interconnected the film works as both an explanation of what went down and a character study.
For Ides of March, the main problem was that it slipped into melodrama and that sapped some of the message of the film. Margin Call stays away from melodrama (there was one point where I was very nervous that it was going to get silly) and it also stay away from trying to make a message. Whereas Ides of March always seemed like it was interested in making the audience judge the characters, Margin Call let situations play out and simply allows the characters to make their own calls. It's about as even-handed of a film as I can imagine (especially given that there's pretty much a definite right and wrong when it comes to what happened.)

I really can't recommend this film enough although I do, again, have to warn people that it is cold and a bit stuffy. It's the Wall St. of this era but it doesn't have the flash or more cinematic stories of that film. It pulls the curtain back on The Street and while it tells a story that most people already know, it's still interesting to watch an all-star cast act out the fall of our economy. Because of the lack of flash, it's also a film that will probably garner zero awards buzz but the acting in this is top notch. The performances are not showy at all, they are pitch perfect for the film and you believe each recognizable actor in their role.

I really can't say enough about this movie. And I know a lot of people will probably say that it's cold and too slow and boring but I thought it all worked. You felt like you were there that fateful night.