Margin Call


Margin Call is a 2011 American drama thriller film written and directed by J. C. Chandor in his feature directorial debut. The principal story takes place over a 24-hour period at a large Wall Street investment bank during the initial stages of the financial crisis of 2007–08. In focus are the actions taken by a group of employees during the subsequent financial collapse. The ensemble cast features Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Demi Moore, and Stanley Tucci.
The film was produced by the production companies Before the Door Pictures, Benaroya Pictures, and Washington Square Films. Theatrically, it was commercially distributed by Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions. Margin Call explores capitalism, greed, and investment fraud. The director and screenwriter, J. C. Chandor, is himself the son of an investment banker; the screenplay was partially informed by Chandor's own foray into real estate investments in New York City soon before the financial crash. Following its wide release in theaters, the film garnered award nominations from the Detroit Film Critics Society, along with several separate nominations for its screenplay and direction from recognized award organizations, including a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. The score was composed by musician Nathan Larson.
The film made its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2011, and opened in theaters nationwide in the United States on October 21, 2011, grossing $5,354,039 in domestic ticket receipts. It was screened at 199 theaters during its widest release in cinemas. It earned an additional $14,150,000 in business through international release to top out at a combined $19,504,039 in gross theatrical revenue. It was a ground-breaking day-and-date release that earned more than $10,000,000 in video-on-demand sales during its initial theatrical release. Preceding its theatrical release, Margin Call was met with positive critical reviews. The DVD and Blu-ray editions of the film were released in the United States on December 20, 2011.

Plot

An unnamed investment bank begins a mass layoff on the trading floor during a normal business day. Among those let go is Eric Dale, head of risk management. Dale tries to speak about his current, unfinished project, first with human resources staff and then with desk head Will Emerson, but is told that this is no longer his concern. While being escorted out of the building he meets one of his risk analysts, Peter Sullivan, and gives him a USB stick to look at with a vague instruction to "be careful."
Sullivan works late that night to finish Dale's project, and discovers that current volatility in the firm's portfolio of mortgage-backed securities has exceeded the historical volatility levels of the positions. Because of excessive leverage, if the portfolio's value decreases by 25%, the loss will be greater than the value of the firm itself and the firm will go bankrupt. Sullivan and his colleague, junior analyst Seth Bregman, tell Emerson about the situation. Emerson alerts floor head Sam Rogers, who also returns to the office. They attempt to contact Dale, but the company shut off his phone and he hasn't yet returned home.
The firm's managers hold emergency meetings in the middle of the night in which division head Jared Cohen, chief risk management officer Sarah Robertson, and other senior executives discuss their options. Finally, CEO John Tuld is called in. Sullivan explains the nature of the problem: the firm needs about a month to layer its MBS products, so the assets stay on the company's books longer than they might prefer, but because they are essentially mortgages the firm has been able to "push the leverage" beyond what they would otherwise be willing or allowed to do. Tuld compares the situation to musical chairs, stating that the 'music is about to stop', and that they would be left holding worthless assets. Sullivan, using Tuld’s analogy, suggests caution, noting that the music is 'just slowing', and if the 'music were to stop', the scenario would be considerably worse.
Cohen's plan is for the firm to quickly dump all of the toxic assets in a fire sale before the market learns of their worthlessness, thereby limiting the firm's exposure. Tuld favours Cohen’s plan, but Rogers opposes it, warning that dumping all of their toxic assets and spreading the risk throughout the financial sector, will destroy the firm's relationships with its counterparties, and cripple the market for the foreseeable future. He also warns Cohen that their customers will quickly learn of the firm's plans once they realize that the firm is only selling the toxic securities, but is not buying any new ones.
By early morning, Dale is found back at his home in Brooklyn. Emerson tries to convince him to return to the office, saying that the firm will not pay him his severance and other benefits unless he agrees to participate in their plan, but Dale continues to resist. Emerson also tells Seth he'll probably lose his job in the crisis, but will get a large severance, while explaining to him the amoral, cyclical nature of the markets. Meanwhile, it is revealed that Robertson, Cohen, and Tuld were aware of the risks in the weeks leading up to the crisis. Tuld offers Robertson up as the scapegoat, putting the blame of the crisis on her and forcing her resignation. Dale arrives, apparently convinced by Tuld's representatives that returning truly is in his best interests. Dale and Robertson are instructed to remain in the office all day and do nothing in return for an increase to their severance packages. Robertson expresses regret for not doing more to prevent the crisis.
With the markets yet to open, Tuld convinces Rogers to go along with Cohen's plan. In a speech to his traders in preparation for the fire sale, Rogers warns them that, by participating, they are effectively ruining their reputations and ending their careers in the industry, but offers a $1.4 million bonus to those able to sell 93% of their assigned securities, with further $1.3 million bonuses if the entire sales floor can reach 93% as a whole. As the markets open, Emerson and the traders immediately begin rapidly selling off their securities and quickly arouse suspicion and anger from their buyers as the hours pass. By the closing bell, the firm has taken tremendous losses, dumping positions for cents on the dollar, but is successful in selling off all the toxic assets.
Cohen tells Rogers there will be another round of layoffs, but Rogers will keep his job. Angry that he was retained, Rogers confronts Tuld, telling him that he wants to cash in on his options and severance pay and leave the firm. Tuld dismisses his protests, claiming that the current crisis is no different from various bear markets of the past, and that sharp gains and losses are simply part of the economic cycle. He persuades Rogers to stay at the firm for another two years, promising that there will be a lot of money to be made from the coming crisis. Cohen brings in Sullivan, whom Tuld intends to promote. Rogers reluctantly accepts Tuld's deal, but says it's only because he needs the money.
Rogers buries his dog in his former front yard in the middle of the night, and learns from her that their son's financial firm took a big hit but survived the day's trading. The screen cuts to black and the credits roll as the sound of Rogers shoveling dirt continues.

Cast

Filming

began on June 21, 2010, in New York City. More than 80% of the action was shot on the 42nd floor of One Penn Plaza, which had recently been vacated by a trading firm.
The film premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. The film also played In Competition at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival and was nominated for the Golden Bear. The film was produced by Zachary Quinto's production company, Before the Door Pictures, by Quinto and his two producing partners and Carnegie Mellon University classmates, Neal Dodson and Corey Moosa.

Reception

Critical response

The film received positive reviews from critics, garnering an 87% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 168 reviews with an average rating of 7.21/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Smart, tightly wound, and solidly acted, Margin Call turns the convoluted financial meltdown of '08 into gripping, thought-provoking drama." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 76 out of 100, based on 38 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
The New Yorker film critic David Denby said it was "easily the best Wall Street movie ever made". Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three and half stars out of four, and said: "Margin Call employs an excellent cast who can make financial talk into compelling dialogue." A. O. Scott of The New York Times wrote: "It is hard to believe that Margin Call is Mr. Chandor’s first feature. His formal command—his ability to imply far more than he shows or says and to orchestrate a large, complex drama out of whispers, glances, and snippets of jargon—is downright awe inspiring."

Themes

Roger Ebert wrote: "I think the movie is about how its characters are concerned only by the welfare of their corporations. There is no larger sense of the public good. Corporations are amoral, and exist to survive and succeed, at whatever human cost. This is what the Occupy Wall Street protesters are angry about: They are not against capitalism, but about Wall Street dishonesty and greed. reflects the enormity of what is happening: Their company and their lives are being rendered meaningless." A.O. Scott wrote: "Margin Call is a thriller, moving through ambient shadows to the anxious tempo of Nathan Larson’s hushed, anxious score. It is also a horror movie, with disaster lurking like an unseen demon outside the skyscraper windows and behind the computer screens. It is also a workplace comedy of sorts. The crackling, syncopated dialogue and the plot, full of reversals and double crosses, owe an obvious debt to David Mamet’s profane fables of deal-making machismo. Hovering over all of it is the dark romance of capital: the elegance of numbers; the kinkiness of money; the deep, rotten, erotic allure of power."
Although the film does not depict any real Wall Street firm, and the fictional firm is never named, the plot has similarities to some events during the 2008 financial crisis: Goldman Sachs similarly moved early to hedge and reduce its position in mortgage-backed securities, at the urging of two employees, which essentially mirrors Tuld's comment about the advantage of moving first. Lehman Brothers moved second and went bankrupt. John Tuld's name is said to be a combination of Merrill Lynch's ex-CEO John Thain and Lehman Brothers' ex-CEO Richard Fuld.

Accolades