This feels like a Michael Moore documentary with reenactments by a great cast (Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale). Director Adam McKay has utilized several cinematic tools to tell a complex and confusing story: entertaining montages, snappy editing, short scenes and clever comedy. He examines how the sub-prime mortgage crisis brought our country (and the world) to the brink of financial disaster and how a small group of smart investors managed to make big money on it. The short-attention-span pacing and McKay’s wildly creative approach (with those absorbing performances) make the film entertaining and ultimately infuriating.
(4 / 5)