The Big Short
2015
Three separate but parallel stories of the U.S mortgage housing crisis of 2005 are told. Michael Burry, an eccentric ex-physician turned one-eyed Scion Capital hedge fund manager, has traded traditional office attire for shorts, bare feet and a Supercuts haircut. He believes that the US housing market is built on a bubble that will burst within the next few years. Autonomy within the company allows Burry to do largely as he pleases, so Burry proceeds to bet against the housing market with the banks, who are more than happy to accept his proposal for something that has never happened in American history. The banks believe that Burry is a crackpot and therefore are confident in that they will win the deal. Jared Vennett with Deutschebank gets wind of what Burry is doing and, as an investor believes he too can cash in on Burry's beliefs. An errant telephone call to FrontPoint Partners gets this information into the hands of Mark Baum, an idealist who is fed up with the corruption in the financial industry. Baum and his associates, who work at an arms length under Morgan Stanley, decide to join forces with Vennett despite not totally trusting him. In addition to Burry's information, they further believe that most of the mortgages are overrated by the bond agencies, with the banks collating all the sub-prime mortgages under AAA packages. Charlie Geller and Jamie Shipley, who are minor players in a $30 million start-up garage company called Brownfield, get a hold of Vennett's prospectus on the matter. Wanting in on the action but not having the official clout to play, they decide to call an old "friend", retired investment banker Ben Rickert, to help out. All three of these groups work on the premise that the banks are stupid and don't know what's going on, while for them to win, the general economy has to lose, which means the suffering of the general investor who trusts the financial institutions. That latter aspect may not sit well with Baum. Some of these assumptions may be incorrect and may be far more manipulative than they could have ever imagined, which in turn may throw curves into the process.
Read full story →Top Cast
Byron Mann
Actor
Adepero Oduye
Actor
Karen Gillan
Actor
Max Greenfield
Actor
Billy Magnussen
Actor
Rudy Eisenzopf
Actor
Casey Groves
Actor
Charlie Talbert
Actor
Harold Gervais
Actor
Maria Frangos
Actor
Hunter Burke
Actor
Bernard Hocke
Actor
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CinemaSerf
19 Apr 2024This is a fascinating appraisal of the antics on Wall Street leading up to the global economic crash that started with the collapse of the American mortgages market in the mid 2000s. Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling and Steve Carell are superb as the three men who identify and appreciate the risks, capitalise on the flaws and who ultimately epitomise the woefully lacking standards of regulation and comprehension by market and government alike; coupled with degrees of avarice that would make King Midas want to blush. The pace of the film is gripping - plenty of parallel threads that gradually conjoin to create a compelling narrative well exemplified by a cast at the top of their game delivering a taut, fast moving adaptation of Michael Lewis' frequently jaw-dropping book. The technique of using real celebrities (like Margot Robbie & Selena Gomez) to illustrate some of the more abstruse aspects of these bewildering processes is effective, and the supporting cast - especially Brad Pitt (who reminded me a lot of Robert Redford), as perhaps the most odious of all: he knew the likely pitfalls for the ordinary people of their scheming, but proceeded regardless - Rafe Spall and Finn Wittrock add marvellously to this. What is does lack, though, is any sort of political dimension. It sets it's sights fairly on the excesses of the businesses, but focusses not at all on the incompetencies of regulators and politicians alike, which does present us with a bit of bias as to the complicity of many, many more than just the bankers in this disaster. It has a degree of thinly woven humanity to it, but sadly illustrates all to clearly how profligacy and greed prevailed in the absence of any real sense of decency or integrity. The last ten minutes is particularly potent - or should that be portentous...?
The Movie Mob
11 Aug 2022**Overall, Adam McKay somehow found a way to make a movie about mortgage fraud profoundly entertaining while still informative.** Is it even possible that a serious film this well written, acted, and shot could possibly be directed by the same guy that did Anchorman, Talladega Nights, and Step Brothers? I know! Mindblowing! But Adam McKay pulled it off with an incredible cast and brilliant storytelling that took advantage of multiple narratives to keep the movie moving quickly. The Big Short was keenly aware that some of its necessary exposition was pretty complex and boring, so it found clever and entertaining ways to give those cumbersome details without losing its audience. As a guy that generally needs explosions and car chases to keep me engaged, I could not believe how much I enjoyed this film. The Big Short is an eye-opening film that tells a complex story with a fun, fast pace that keeps the audience engaged and entertained.
izgzhen
07 Apr 2018Perfect film as I see. The actors are all awesome and characteristic. The rhythm is tight and deeply involving. I really like the theme -- 2008 global economy crisis. This film explains many technical sides unfamiliar to most of us, including those deeply affected by this catastrophe. Above the technical details, the main four roles have different philosophical insights during this event: Michael Burry -- Realistic, Objective, Knowing history Ben Rickert & Pals -- Murphy's Law Jared Vennett -- Distrust of the Big Corp Mark Baum -- Belief in the justice, even in against of the money In conclusion, 100% recommended.