The Big Short Blu-ray review: “One of the most important films of our generation”

In the Oscar race earlier this year, none did so well to show how awful white people are (except maybe Spotlight) as Adam McKay’s docu-drama The Big Short. The majority of us will know all about the recession, market crash, and housing crisis that swept most of the world, and The Big Short goes some way to explaining how it all happened and who’s to blame. The only problem is that it’s far too complicated, but nevertheless we have one of the most important films of the year that delights in how messy it has to be in order to tackle this gigantic subject.

We start with Michael Burry MD (Christian Bale), who discovers that bad loans have been consolidated along with good loans and used to prop up the housing market. Due to his autistic and OCD manner, Burry is the only one who has read through and understands the thousands of pages of loans that has lead him to this conclusion. He decides to bet against the housing market by creating his own bonds, which the banks are happy enough to do, thinking it will be free money. Soon Ryan Gosling’s Jared Vennet, a despicable but refreshingly honest yuppie gets wind of the bonds and also wants in. His involvement leads to Mark Baum (Steve Carrell) and his team’s finance firm also investing, while Finn Whitrock and John Magaro play two young upstarts enlisting the aid of Brad Pitt’s seasoned investor, Ben Rickert.

It’s a lot to take in, and the whole film is exceptionally confusing. Your brain will be forced to work overtime as you have acronyms, financial jargon, and legal terms thrown around. It may sound daunting, but it’s all part of what makes The Big Short work. It confounds you to the point of annoyance, which is the whole point of the financial world. It’s hard to get your foot in the door or invest wisely when the only ones who understand are trying to fuck you over. McKay makes for a surprising good intermediary though, as he litters the film with fourth wall breaking, hilarious laugh out loud moments of disbelief and wit, and a number of celebrity cameos to explain stuff to us mortals.

It may sound patronising, but again this is kind of the point. Once Margot Robbie appears in a bubble bath to explain a certain financial term, it also emphasises how many in the financial world will look down on others. There’s a definite mature Sesame Street vibe to such sequences, but it somehow works.

Don’t be put off by all the technical speak though, as the film is also littered with career best performances, with Carrell offering an emotional centre point and Gosling being a comedic superstar. McKay’s humour is still intact, but he also shows a much more mature side as he delves into tragedy and aggravation.The editing is fast and ferocious, again blending in well with the subject matter and capturing the furious nature of finance. It could have been easy to lose so many characters and sub-plots amongst the heavy exposition, but with so many of the cast on form you’ll be completely engrossed.

The most surprising element is the tragic sense of despair. These men are willing to profit from the misery of others, but in the hopes that the banks will also suffer a heavy blow. As the story progresses over the course of 3-4 years it becomes painfully apparent that despite all the mistakes, fraud, and douch-baggery, it will always be the little guy who is left out in the rain. When mixed with uncomfortable humour where we meet strippers with five houses thanks to seedy loans, banks controlling their own rates, and people using their net worth as a judge of success and character, you really don;t know whether to laugh or cry.