CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio review for the doc series “Charlie Hustle & the Matter of Pete Rose,” about the rise and bitter fall of the major league legend, the MLB’s all-time hits leader, only to be banned from the sport because of gambling. Streaming on MAX and on HBO since July 24th.!—break—>
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.
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Inside Job
Photo credit: Sony Pictures Classics
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.
![Inside Job Inside Job](http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/sites/default/files/insidejob2.jpg)
Inside Job
Photo credit: Sony Pictures Classics
Perhaps most remarkably, as he did with “No End in Sight,” Ferguson gets several of the major players in this disaster to speak on camera and he doesn’t hold back, calling some blatant lies ridiculous and refusing to allow for the revisionist history of politics. While he never comes off overly aggressive Michael Moore can be and never appears on camera, “Inside Job” is one of those rare documentaries that feels like it has a strong, guiding hand behind it. It’s amazing how often someone would say something in an interview and Ferguson would follow-up with the perfect comment or question to get deeper into the matter.
Some documentarians are showmen. Some are great interviewers. Some are great educators. It’s very rare for someone to take the best of all of those traits. Our greatest documentary “entertainers” are often not very good interviewers and just because someone can make someone comfortable in a room doesn’t mean they can form what they learn into an educational piece. Charles Ferguson has the best of all of the above. “Inside Job” is easily one of the best documentaries of the year.
![]() | By BRIAN TALLERICO |