Men in smart, dark suits act nervously in a hush as a procession of women enter the office: Redundancy is in hand, and we observe a clinical dispatch of 'bad news' packages handed-out by the women to selected employees.
The human stain of culling has started, and things are going to 'get ugly.' But there is a greater threat lurking in the background, and the secret of this will begin to unfold - from the office trading floor to the man at the top in the boardroom.
The message is clear -the stock market is about to crash. Traders get twitchy, and the cosy charm of personal wealth is lost in an exchange of crisp dialogue. We are about to learn a lesson in the language of profit and loss: The traders have overstretched themselves, and the promise of high returns won't be fed back to stimulate the market: The public has gone broke.
.......Behind the seemly world of polite manners, smart suits and cocktails, lies a seething energy of ruthlessness: The film is set in the world of trading -and a great story too, that enhances itself to the screen....
The film engages energy and invites the viewer to observe a private and exclusive world. But it is like an artificial world born out of science fiction, which will soon crack open to reality: The traders are reminded that they are only one step away from becoming broke themselves ......
The film has a subtle way to soft pedal emotions and politeness in a controlled manner - it is like a mafia shake-up without the blood.
There are lovely touches to the film - the music score ( by Nathan Larson ) vibrates along pleasantly in pulsation of beat - and there is a snippet of a Chopin prelude ( no.15 in D flat major ) that is cut short in play as Kevin Spacey awakes from slumber as we are about to indulge....and a trader recalled to office from a plush bar, still drinking from a lengthy bottle hidden in a brown, paper bag. I like the bright, glass windows that echo an image of the traders in reflection of duality in conflict of two worlds -one real, one artificial ( in sunlight and fluorescent )....
I loved the ending: masterfully and touchingly real - - - the directors first venture into feature film -remarkable, and well done J. C. Chandor! The acting is also rewarding on all levels, especially with the star graded choice of actors which includes Jeremy Irons - and more. ....The story loosely reminds me of ' The Machine Stops' ( by E. M. Forster ); 'We' ( by Yevgeny Zamyatin), and the film, 'The Swimmer' ( starring Burt Lancaster ).
Treat the film with a sense of black humour as it teases us to do so in return - and don't sell your soul to the night of the film, but do watch the film at night-time, -and catch it at this late hour, like a thief in the night to possess the office of night... a helicopter that hovers in darkness and lands with blazing lights on the rooftop -as the previous day of oppression simmers during the night, and so the night unfolds before .... "Light breaks where no sun shines" ( "quote": Dylan Thomas -poem ).
I highly recommend to watch.... the film's ending has all the hallmarks of an Eli Kazan movie, that is, that the ending has a new beginning?
The human stain of culling has started, and things are going to 'get ugly.' But there is a greater threat lurking in the background, and the secret of this will begin to unfold - from the office trading floor to the man at the top in the boardroom.
The message is clear -the stock market is about to crash. Traders get twitchy, and the cosy charm of personal wealth is lost in an exchange of crisp dialogue. We are about to learn a lesson in the language of profit and loss: The traders have overstretched themselves, and the promise of high returns won't be fed back to stimulate the market: The public has gone broke.
.......Behind the seemly world of polite manners, smart suits and cocktails, lies a seething energy of ruthlessness: The film is set in the world of trading -and a great story too, that enhances itself to the screen....
The film engages energy and invites the viewer to observe a private and exclusive world. But it is like an artificial world born out of science fiction, which will soon crack open to reality: The traders are reminded that they are only one step away from becoming broke themselves ......
The film has a subtle way to soft pedal emotions and politeness in a controlled manner - it is like a mafia shake-up without the blood.
There are lovely touches to the film - the music score ( by Nathan Larson ) vibrates along pleasantly in pulsation of beat - and there is a snippet of a Chopin prelude ( no.15 in D flat major ) that is cut short in play as Kevin Spacey awakes from slumber as we are about to indulge....and a trader recalled to office from a plush bar, still drinking from a lengthy bottle hidden in a brown, paper bag. I like the bright, glass windows that echo an image of the traders in reflection of duality in conflict of two worlds -one real, one artificial ( in sunlight and fluorescent )....
I loved the ending: masterfully and touchingly real - - - the directors first venture into feature film -remarkable, and well done J. C. Chandor! The acting is also rewarding on all levels, especially with the star graded choice of actors which includes Jeremy Irons - and more. ....The story loosely reminds me of ' The Machine Stops' ( by E. M. Forster ); 'We' ( by Yevgeny Zamyatin), and the film, 'The Swimmer' ( starring Burt Lancaster ).
Treat the film with a sense of black humour as it teases us to do so in return - and don't sell your soul to the night of the film, but do watch the film at night-time, -and catch it at this late hour, like a thief in the night to possess the office of night... a helicopter that hovers in darkness and lands with blazing lights on the rooftop -as the previous day of oppression simmers during the night, and so the night unfolds before .... "Light breaks where no sun shines" ( "quote": Dylan Thomas -poem ).
I highly recommend to watch.... the film's ending has all the hallmarks of an Eli Kazan movie, that is, that the ending has a new beginning?