A great translation of a beautifully written Michael Lewis story

Rating: 9/10 (9 June 2017)

Moneyball's greatest aspects: an adapted screenplay written by Aaron Sorkin, based off of a Michael Lewis book.
The film is incredibly well written, with each scene reliving the story of general manager Billy Beane (played by Brad Pitt) struggling to rebuild an unfortunate, low budget Oakland baseball team. The screenplay allows for excitement and attentiveness, somehow changing a slow moving sport into an enjoyable, dramatic motion picture.
The attention to detail throughout the film, like the fit of the baseball pants and the design of the locker room, truly shows the hard work and effort put in by the production crew. Despite the simplicity of baseball uniforms relative to usual film attire, the costume design for Moneyball is still impressive. The well designed set for the baseball team's locker room and offices allows for long shots through hallways that show characters' moods and general ambiance.
Additionally, the film crew did a fantastic job of understanding and breaking down the data-oriented system that is used in baseball today to rate players. Director Bennett Miller successfully delivers comprehensive scenes to teach the audience about this complicated concept, all the while incorporating drama and baseball action into the film.
Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill are both fantastic in Moneyball. Both of them grow into their characters extremely well, and the film successfully manages to get the audience to become attached to them. Brad Pitt wonderfully depicts inner frustration and pain on the screen, all the while smiling externally to his character's coworkers and family. His performance is further enhanced by the personalities of his supporting cast, specifically Jonah Hill and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Director of Photography Wally Pfister has a great sense for a scene's look and feel, and he proves that to us throughout the film. For a baseball movie, Pfister shoots scenes with aspects of ingenuity and reality, sometimes shooting scenes the way a person would view a baseball game through their TV. His use of both natural light and artificial light is nicely done — specifically, Pfister's shots tend to have certain lights turned off, whether in a room or in a stadium, to project a dramatic feel onto the scene.
Additionally, the editing was superb. By going back and forth between the 2001/2002 baseball video montages with the film footage, the film is able to tie together 2001/2002's exciting commentary with slow motion pitches and swings.
Ultimately, Moneyball is able to successfully fulfill and translate the beautifully written story told by Michael Lewis.