Tip over the edge

It’s no secret that modern cinema has become somewhat uninspired – saturated with superhero franchises and mindless reboots of timeless classics – that is precisely what makes this film a breath of fresh air.

While the Wolf Of Wall Street unabashedly depicted the decadence and grandeur of the US stock market, this movie is the flipside to that coin and shines a spotlight on underdogs who take a chance and lose it all.

TV personality Lee (Clooney) hosts a financial advice show called Money Monster, which is directed by his friend, Patty (Roberts). The show is filled with pomp and the boisterous Lee prances around while dispersing haphazard tips to his viewers.

Everything is running on schedule until Lee is interrupted live on-air by Kyle (O’Connell), who is consumed with anger because one of Lee’s investment suggestions resulted in the loss of his life savings. Armed with guns and bombs, Kyle takes charge of the broadcast and the light-hearted atmosphere quickly turns to terror.

Kyle’s real target is the banking executive who has blamed the wipe-out of share prices on a computer glitch, however, there is more to the story than meets the eye. During the tense stand-off, a media circus develops around them and Patty, holed up in the control room, tries desperately to help ease the situation by feeding Lee pertinent information through his earpiece.

Clooney and Roberts have great on-screen chemistry, which is unsurprising when you flashback to their fantastic work on the Ocean’s movies. While the performances are solid, I got the impression neither of them really left their comfort zone during filming.

O’Connell’s performance as Jack is truly the highlight of this movie. He’s tortured by one bad decision and most people can’t help but empathise with that. Kyle is a great antagonist because O’Connell is able to make you care about him and see his human side.

One of my favourite aspects of the movie is that it is set in real time, which really helps build tension. However, when the action leaves the newsroom and ventures into the world, it falls flat because viewers are simply not invested in the other characters.

I couldn’t help but feel a correlation between the theme of this movie and the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) protest movement of 2011. The main issues raised by OWS were social and economic inequality, greed and corruption – particularly from the financial services sector.

Although, in my opinion, this film is a little late, it still carries a potent message and is well worth a watch.

Showing in: Novo Cinemas, Cineco, Seef I & II, Saar, Wadi Al Sail, Dana Cineplex