Cleverly done

Rating: 9/10 (29 January 2016)

At the start of the banking meltdown in the 2000s, a small number of individuals / traders realise ahead of time that something weird is happening in the markets, and follow various courses of action.
I never thought any movie would approach the thrill of Gungans blockading trade routes, but the intricacies of bonds based on sub-prime mortgages has Phantom Menace beaten hands down! I'm being facetious, of course. The Big Short takes an event of global economic significance, which is built on financial shenanigans of horrendous complexity, and it presents it in a way which audiences can understand. This is absolutely brilliant. It is also frequently very funny – I found myself laughing at the same time as being completely outraged by what was going on.
There is a high level ensemble cast here and all are very good, although my money is on Steve Carell, proving that he is one of his generation's great actors. But the real stars here are the script, direction and editing, so Adam McKay gets the main credit. Who knew that a film about a subject this dry this dry could be so entertaining and full of outrage?