"Be careful."

Margin Call (2011)
***
Dir: J.C. Chandor

Starring: Kevin Spacey, Zachary Quinto, Demi Moore, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Simon Baker

While there aren't exactly any villains (cinematically speaking), there sure as hell aren't any heroes in this story of a Lehman Brothers-like investment firm on the brink of 2008's economic meltdown. Just about every character is fairly despicable, but that doesn't make them any less compelling.

I'm aware that Zachary Quinto is not yet a household name, but between this and his fantastic recent guest appearance on FX's gloriously batshit American Horror Story he feels like a star in the making. Here he's Peter Sullivan, a risk analyst who makes a discovery that quickly works its way up his firm's chain of command, culminating in an all-night series of meetings that spell doom for the firm and its shareholders. It's an unshowy role despite the importance of his character, and Quinto nails the balance of brains, fear and greed that drives Sullivan. 

Spacey also delivers one of his least showy performances in years as the hapless middle-manager, caught between wanting to look like a good guy and wanting to actually be a decent person. Towards the final third of the movie the focus shifts a bit from Quinto to Spacey which would be frustrating if Spacey wasn't so good. 

Paul Bettany is wormily effective as Sullivan's new boss (after 80% of the workforce is let go in the opening scene), and most of the movie's best lines come from him. Demi Moore is also very good as another middle manager, and Simon Baker is appropriately oily as the firm's second in command.

If you're looking for true smiling-while-I'm-burying-a-knife-in-your-back-and-probably-also-your-front-but-ain't-I-so-nice-despite-it-all false charm (and yes, I'm aware that true false charm is an oxymoron, but it's my blog so I can do what I want), look no further than the great Jeremy Irons as the head of the company. Few people play insidiously disarming well, but Irons has gotta be in the top five, minimum.

The script is smart, and it's refreshing that it trusts the audience to keep up. Admittedly, there are a few moments where characters speak in great globs of infodump, but it serves the story and doesn't get too distracting. 

It feels wrong to call it a thriller, but there is a propulsive sense of escalation that holds your interest throughout, despite the lack of anyone to root for. Like I said in the beginning, there are no heroes and every single character is driven only by greed and/or self-interest, but the story is well-told and the performances are all very much worth watching.