Film Review: Documentary ‘Inside Job’ Should Be Required Viewing

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Rating: 5.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Director Charles Ferguson is an absolute genius at distilling incredibly-complex subjects down to their bare essentials without dumbing them down in the slightest. He produced the best documentary about the Iraq War in the amazing “No End in Sight” and he’s now delivered a nearly—equal masterful feature on how our economy got to where it is today with the excellent “Inside Job,” arguably the best documentary of a great year for the form.

Matt Damon narrates Ferguson’s film, which opens with an interesting story about the economic collapse of Iceland that may throw viewers off into thinking the stepped into the wrong theater. The speed in which that country went from completely stable to near-anarchy can be used as a perfect parallel to what has happened to our country as greed has merged with the complete destruction of checks and balances to pull the rug out from under millions of Americans.

Read Brian Tallerico’s full review of “Inside Job” in our reviews section.

Ferguson has an amazing ability to look at something enormous like the Iraq War or the economic collapse of 2008 and figure out exactly which opinions, stats, and angles on the story he needs to expose to not only educate the viewer but make an entertaining film at the same time. “Inside Job” is a master class in how to display complex subjects in a way that doesn’t feel like the moviegoer is attending a class lecture but also doesn’t over-simplify into something like a “20/20” special. “Inside Job” is incredibly complicated but never dry, never confusing, and always riveting.

What angle does “Inside Job” take on the economic crisis? Basically, that no one was minding the store. As financial deregulation tore down the walls and made it easier for everyone in the financial district to make millions, there was barely anyone who stood up and said that the bubble had to burst because those who did were ignored or worse. With banks betting against their own customers, rating agencies simply not doing their jobs, and people in power with serious conflict of interests, it was a ticking time bomb that would have exploded eventually.

Continue reading for Brian Tallerico’s full “Inside Job” review.

Inside Job
Photo credit: Sony Pictures Classics