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MysteryMan's stats
- Review count2
- Helpfulness votes1
- First reviewDecember 26, 2009
- Last reviewOctober 18, 2010
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating4
MysteryMan's Reviews
Overall rating
5
/
5
Gripping hit piece
PostedOctober 18, 2010
MysteryMan
from Los Angeles, CA
"Inside Job" has many ingenious elements, particularly in its ability to identify villains who perpetrated the perfect crime, a financial con job where the crooks are known, but none have been caught and have been able to hang onto their loot. It may upset you, make you angry, or feel sick, just like a really great horror movie. But in this case, the monster hiding in the basement or in your chest cavity just wants to consume your financial assets.
While compelling, the film ignores the fact that many of the the victims contributed to their own plight by buying into a "too good to be true" housing market in order to make a quick buck themselves. It also ignores the fact that most wall streeters were just as duped as we were, and just as innocent.
It's true that people who run the banks are in it for the money, but should this surprise us? And the movie seems to confuse and conflate two underlying causes of the problem, misaligned incentives (a real problem) and deregulation (could be beneficial if applied fairly). It also unfairly targets the Bush tax cuts, which at best are tangential to the mess we're in.
But if you can get past the "60 Minutes" ambush journalism in which a few individuals are blamed, and the hero worship hindsight bias that applauds the doomsayers who guessed right, there are some deeper lessons to be learned about human nature in general.
The key lesson is, of course, when contemplating a huge financial decision that could bankrupt you or make you rich, pay more attention to those little hairs on the back of your neck or that knot in your stomach, and put aside the urgings of others who may be the primary beneficiaries of your potential mistake. As President Reagan said, "Trust, but verify."
See the movie, but keep your wits about you as you watch.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
3
/
5
High Testosterone, Low IQ
PostedDecember 26, 2009
MysteryMan
During the last 10 minutes of "Sherlock Holmes", when the great detective is doing his case summation, viewers are reminded of what has been missing throughout the rest of the film, and what has been replaced by CGI and an excessive number of Guy Ritchie's scenes of stylized, but basically pointless violence. So, what has been missing? It's no mystery. "Sherlock Holmes" IQ has dropped a few points due to excessive usage of steroids. One of my fellow viewers summed it up nicely, "A violent version of "Monk."
No, I do not recommend this movie.
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