Starring: Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell, Brad Pitt
The Big Short
Director: Adam McKay
Rating: 4/5
January has been a terrific month for great ensemble casts and The Big Short boasts another impressive line-up as Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell, and Brad Pitt join forces in the new film from writer and director Adam McKay.
McKay has brought us films such as Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and Step Brothers, but The Big Short shows off a very different side to him as a filmmaker. The movie has already picked up Golden Globe and Oscar nominations and it has finally hit the big screen here in the UK.
Based on the true story and best-selling book by Michael Lewis, the movie follows four outsiders who saw what the big banks, media and government refused to, the global collapse of the economy, they had an idea: The Big Short.
Their bold investment leads them into the dark underbelly of modern banking where they must question everyone and everything.
On paper, shining a light on the financial crisis does sound a little boring, but McKay and Charles Randolph have penned a screenplay that is smart, entertaining and far funnier than you ever expect it to be.
What is love about The Big Short is the fact that you don't have to be interesting or know anything about economics of the financial crisis to be engaged and entertained by the witty script, sharp direction and terrific performances from the central cast.
McKay has assembled a terrific list of stars and Bale, Gosling, Carell and Pitt are on fine form and I love the banter between them.
Bale is terrific as Michael Burry and really captures the eccentric nature of a man who worked hard to find as much fraud as possible. Bale really does shine and it is no surprise that he has been recognised with a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination.
While Carell, Gosling, and Pitt are also fantastic, for me, it was Bale that truly did shine from start to finish and I always love watching him on the big screen.
I have not been a big fan of McKay over the years and can take or leave movies such as Anchorman and The Other Guys, but The Big Short really does show off his writing and directing skills in a much better light and I hope he continues down this path and moves away from those daft comedies.
He has done a great job in breaking down the industry jargon and it is brave to see him breaking the fourth wall to explain certain aspects that we may struggle to understand - however, he never treats the audience in a condescending way.
I must admit, I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I sat down to watch The Big Short but it is a movie that was as stylish as it was funny and it is my favourite film from McKay.
This is an absurd story that you wouldn't believe if you didn't know it was true and it is horrifying to see the practices that went on in this industry at that time. This is a story that really should make your blood boil but you cannot help but laugh.
The Big Short is out now.