Inside Job
The effect of Wallstreet on the 2008 financial crash
Overview (Synopsis)
The film Inside Job is a look at the financial crash that happened in 2008, causing people to lose their homes and/or jobs. Through a series of interviews, each with a new way to reaffirm the fact that investment bankers were using deregulation to get rich at the price of everyone else, it covers the role of Wallstreet and the disastrous effects.
Review Questions
- This film relates to economics because economics is based off of the transfer of wealth or money. This film focus on that in how the investment bankers get rich and rob everyone else. The whole concept of the film is how Wallstreet and the deregulation of trade assisted to the economic crash so the line between economics and Inside Job is quite clear.
- The bias of this film is the people that were interviewed. It was rarely told from a bankers point of view (although it did say many times that people declined to be interviewed). I believe that the film did present objective information because it came from so many different people with different interpretations.
- In my opinion it was a good film, and I agree with the stance taken. It was informative and I learned a lot about how the banking system works. Most research that I did happened during, as opposed to after the film, as I found myself confused from time to time. However, it was still a very intriguing film, deserving of the highest rating.
Other Questions
1q. What does the acronym "CDO" stand for? What does it mean?
1a. CDO stands for collateral debt obligation and it is a the product of pooling together assists to be sold to investors.
2q. What is a subprime loan? Why do bankers sell them so much?
2a. A subprime loan is the riskiest kind of loan. They are often sold because they can deceptively be given the rating AAA.
Quotes
- "For decades the American financial system was stable and safe. But then something changed. The financial industry turned it's back on society, corrupted our political system and plunged the world economy into crisis."
- "You're gonna make an extra $2 million a year, or $10 million a year for putting your financial institution at risk. Someone else pays the bill, you don't. Would you make that bet? Most people on Wall Street said, 'Sure, I'd make that bet.'"
Production Info
Director: Charles Ferguson
Producer: Charles Ferguson & Audrey Marrs
Production company: Sony Pictures Classics, Representational Pictures, Screen Pass Pictures
Distribution company: Sony Pictures Classics
Locations filmed: Iceland, China, England, USA
Year: 2010