You’re gonna need a stiff drink after this one. With the same exacting research and vigor director Charles Ferguson brought to his first feature “No End In Sight,” he returns with his sophomore effort “Inside Job” a supremely eye-opening and exhaustive (if sometimes exhausting) look at the U.S. financial crisis.
Narrated by Matt Damon, and broken up into five parts, Ferguson interviews nearly every important figure, researcher, economist and political leader — both at home and abroad — who was impacted by a financial system that prior to the collapse was simply running wild.
In Part I: How We Got Here, the film clearly illustrates how the post-Depression era of strict financial regulation was slowly stripped away leading to the increasingly volatile industry of today. Part II: The Bubble reveals how the inaction at the highest levels of government coupled with a weakened SEC and influence from banking leaders within the political sphere continued a culture of risky transactions and excessive lifestyles that only served to continue to the buildup to what would be an incredible fall.
Part III: The Crisis, and Part IV: Accountability detail that starting from the Bear Stearns bankruptcy the issue continued to be ignored, misunderstood and played down while those at the highest levels continued to reap benefits. And perhaps most depressingly, the film closes with Part V: Where We Are Now showing that under Barack Obama the status quo of undue industry influence and unchecked policies continue to reign.
So yeah, this is dense, heavy stuff but also compelling, infuriating and even at times amusing. While for many, the information summarized above may not be new, that’s only half the story. Ferguson and his team go deep, and you’ll leave the film with a deeper understanding of just how far Wall Street ran and continues to run.
If there is any small complaint to be made about “Inside Job” it’s that at times it can be a total information overload. Granted, it was our last film of a three movie day but there are times when the nitty gritty of derivatives and credit swap will require the most steadfast of attention to keep up. But faulting a documentary for being too informative seems ridiculous and really it’s more of a heads up than a complaint; you’ll want to give this one your undivided attention.
And it’s Ferguson’s no holds barred approach that will reward viewers who stick with him. As the film gains steam it becomes a furious and scathing attack on an ineffectual government and greed run rampant that worst of all, is not on the path of being fixed and sets us up to fail again.
“Inside Job” is unlike any other heist film we’ve seen this year because whether stealing your dreams or even your bank, the people in Washington and on Wall Street are actually stealing something far more valuable. Our lives. [A-] – Kevin Jagernauth