Inside Job (2010) Review: The Film That Cost $20,000,000,000,000 To Make

An extensively detailed, exhaustively researched & comprehensive analysis of the global financial crisis of 2008 that’s considered by many to be the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s, Inside Job provides an insanely gripping & extremely informative account of the financial meltdown that resulted in a loss of 20 trillion dollars, and left millions of people without jobs, homes & savings in its wake.

Told in five segments, Inside Job covers the entire set of events that lead to the Great Recession and also examines the aftermath and how the ones responsible for it managed to get away with their personal fortunes in tact. Through several interviews & investigations, it paints a downright unsettling picture of the greed of financial services industry & the systematic corruption of the United States by them that nearly collapsed the world financial system.

Directed by Charles Ferguson, the film reverse engineers the complete scenario to give us an unadulterated view of what really happened, when & where it started, and who all are accountable for it. Narrated by Matt Damon, there is this seething rage that builds up slowly as the events unfold as we bear witness to the banking sectors deliberately engaging in malpractices for personal gains that ultimately led to long-term consequences that was felt on a global scale.

The global impact is evident in the first scene that shows Iceland to be a perfect nation until it allowed the deregulation & privatisation of its banks and how the nation’s economy came crashing down when recession hit. What’s also interesting is that there were warning signs all over the place. Some even pointed it out only to be silenced by the major financial corporations that steadily corrupted politics, regulation & academia, thus preventing every attempt at introducing reforms.

The documentary encompasses pretty much everything that contributed to the financial crisis. All the events are stacked properly and arranged in chronological order. Ferguson narrates them with a certain neatness and makes sure that even the complex terms are explained in a way that’s easy to grasp. But it’s the interviews that stand out most as we witness Ferguson slowly tightening the screws until he has the interviewees cornered, and then exposes their involvement by leaving them with no rational defence.

On an overall scale, Inside Job is essential viewing in every manner or shape or form. Crafted with composure & narrated with gripping intensity, it delivers a powerfully compelling & emotionally enraging experience that grabs the viewers’ attention almost instantly and doesn’t let go until the very end. Ingeniously directed, immaculately edited & impeccably paced, the film expertly deconstructs the worst financial crisis of our time, examining each component in depth, and then tries to connect the dots to deliver a bigger picture that doesn’t leave behind much room for doubts. Strongly recommended.

Inside Job Movie Information

Rating: PG-13 (Some Sex-Related Material|Some Drug Material)
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Director: Charles Ferguson
Producer: Charles Ferguson, Audrey Marrs
Writer: Charles Ferguson
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 8, 2010  Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $4.3M
Runtime: 1h 48m
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Sony Pictures Classics