Movie review: 'Margin Call' a gripping, well-told tale about corrupt bankers
The major players at the unnamed bank at the center of “Margin Call” have their own version of the Golden Rule: Do unto others before they do unto you.
“When all is said and done, they don’t lose money,” explains veteran trader Will Emerson (Paul Bettany). “They don’t care if anyone else does — but they don’t.”
So it’s hardly surprising to see the top executives frantically running for cover when a just-fired expert (Stanley Tucci) and a newcomer to the bank, Peter Sullivan (Zachary Quinto), determine that the institution’s heavy investments in mortgage-backed securities are about to bring on catastrophic consequences. In a tense all-night meeting, everyone behaves like the nuclear power plant workers in “The China Syndrome,” struggling to maintain brave faces while wrestling with a potential disaster.
