Overview
A gripping tale of financial collapse and moral dilemmas unfolds in the heart of Wall Street.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- brooding
- paranoid
- austere
- serious movie night
- finance film marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a tightly controlled, intelligent, and absorbing fictional treatment of the 2008 financial crisis, strengthened by its ensemble performances and lucid financial dialogue.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The financial disaster unfolds through late-night offices, emergency meetings, and controlled executive discussions rather than conventional action sequences.
Conscientious employees are pressured to participate in decisions designed to protect the firm at the expense of others.
Peter Sullivan's risk analysis translates opaque financial models into a concrete threat capable of destabilizing the company and wider markets.
The skyscraper offices, computer screens, empty corridors, and nocturnal meetings create an atmosphere of isolation and impending disaster.
Films like Margin Call, and why
The Big Short
Shares a morally charged Wall Street setting, financial crisis subject matter, institutional corruption, and tense ensemble drama.
The Company Men
Shares a corporate thriller structure, sharp professional dialogue, ethical compromise, and pressure-cooker workplace atmosphere.
Wall Street
Shares a cynical examination of money, power, ambition, and morally compromised financial operators in a sleek urban setting.
The Insider
Shares a contained, dialogue-driven thriller built around institutional failure, professional loyalty, and escalating crisis.
Movie Details
- Director
- J.C. Chandor
- Release Date
- 2011-09-28
- Runtime
- 107 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (2194)
Cast
- Kevin Spacey
- Zachary Quinto
- Paul Bettany
- Jeremy Irons
- Simon Baker
- Penn Badgley
- Demi Moore
- Stanley Tucci
- Ashley Williams
- Mary McDonnell
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Margin Call about?
- Over one sleepless night, a Wall Street firm's discovery of catastrophic risk turns corporate self-preservation into a tense moral reckoning.
- What is Margin Call like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Margin Call as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Margin Call violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Margin Call.
- What did critics think of Margin Call?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a tightly controlled, intelligent, and absorbing fictional treatment of the 2008 financial crisis, strengthened by its ensemble performances and lucid financial dialogue.
- Which films are like Margin Call?
- Films with a similar feel include The Big Short, The Company Men, Wall Street, and The Insider.
- How long is Margin Call?
- Margin Call runs 107 minutes.
- Where can I watch Margin Call?
- In United States, Margin Call is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
