A movie about the stockmarket. How exciting can it be? It's not like it's an
action movie, with people dying and stuff blowing up. It's not like there are
car chases or people riding on horseback.
A movie about the stockmarket. How dramatic can it be? It's not like people
are falling in love. It's not like there's somebody's life hanging by a thread
while people stand over them as they slowly slip away.
A movie about the stockmarket. How good could it actually be?
Quite good, actually.
Giovanni Ribisi stars as Seth, a smart and intelligent man in his early-twenties
who runs a casino out of his apartment. It's illegal, though, which gets the
hackles of his judge father up. He is approached by a man who offers him a great
business opportunity, one offering oodles upon oodles of money. What's the catch?
Simple: it has to do with the stockmarket.
Seth is recruited into the company, which offers on-the-spot training for the near
hundred trainees which it recruits. Seth is the one who rises above them all as
he nets customer upon customer upon customer, selling stocks with the ease that most
of us experience when we walk.
The scenes in the office where these brokers-in-training make their sales calls
are by far the most riveting scenes in the entire movie. You want action? These
give better action than your average action movie. It's amazing to watch them at
work, calling and selling these people. They are con-artists to the greatest degree.
"On the phone, you don't have to be you. You can be whoever you want," says one
of the seasoned brokers to the just-learning Seth.
And so it goes. People are called and are sold stocks. But... where is the conflict,
one might ask. Where is the tension? Well, the tension is there as they make these
phone calls, as you wonder if they'll hook the person or not. The conflict is all over
the place. The FBI is investigating their fledgling little company; a family is being
torn apart because of stock-prices that are falling, to stocks that the father bought
without consulting his wife, first; Seth discovers how the company is making all this
money and is able to pay its employees so well; Seth's relationship with his father is
constantly on the rocks. Need more? There's also plenty of conflict within the company
itself.
The movie is electric throughout. This electricity hits its peak during the scenes
where these brokers make their phone calls, and during three other scenes in the movie.
These are the scenes with Ben Affleck. Don't let the advertisements fool you, thouh.
Affleck, who plays the head of the company, is only in the movie for ten to fifteen minutes
at the most. When he's on-screen, though, he is simply amazing, for lack of any half-
decent metaphor. He's electric. He's intense. Mezmerizing, even! I know Affleck is a
good actor, he showed us this fact in Kevin Smith's Chasing Amy. He demonstartes it again
in this movie. With what little screen time he's given, Affleck bursts through, giving one
of the best performances of the movie.
And then there's Ribisi. Critics have been saying how Hollywood has found a new star in
him. Well, they're absolutely right. He shines in this movie. While it's full of great
acting, Ribisi outshines them all. It would have been interesting to see him and Affleck
share a scene together where they lock horns, but that doesn't happen. All we're given is
two finely honed, amazing performances.
Final verdict? While it's not the best movie of the year, it certainly is good. Great
acting and riveting scenes make for one hell of a good movie. Go and see it. You won't
be disappointed.