Yeah, I mean this is pretty much the same as someone who clicks the sell button when they find out that the shares that they own is inherently worthless or massively overvalued. Just on a larger scale. Most people don't think its immoral to sell GME stock, or for TSLA to issue shares, or for people to sell bitcoin. Assets which are incredibly overvalued, that are worth far less than they trade for.
This is a criminally underlooked performance from Irons. He's utterly captivating in this scene. All his nuanced gestures, the reflective tone when he stares out of the window, the way he reassures the junior employee and makes himself appear more human than what he is. All of it is brilliant.
@@oliveroneil4340 ...……..completely agree. Clearly based on Lehman Brothers, it shines on so many levels. And if you ever wanted to know how to make a presentation to C-Suites - look no further.
@zhask Wolf of Wall Street is a classic. One of the best films in the last 20 years. It is much, much different than Margin Call, so there's not much of a comparison.
Jeremy Irons- what a monster of an actor. This is as close to perfection as you can get. He could easily be a real life CEO - you do t see Irons here, you see the sleazy Tuld.
@@Amr_D you must have been watching this movie wasted or smth. Just take a closer look at the scene where Vision has finished his small talk with Mr. Dale. There was a black corporate sedan with T-800 (Carmelo skin model) inside. It was polite enough to let them finish. As soon as Vision's left it approached Mr.Dale saying: "Come with me if you want to leave"
Irons was spectacular in this movie. His tenor of speech. Speak to me as if your speaking to a 6 year old all the while utilizing his expertise from the stage. Just spectacular.
"It wasn't brains that got me here, I can assure you of that." Along with the accompanying smile, one of the most terrifying lines ever uttered on film.
I have heard that same line from a bunch of Scientists and PHDs trying to make me feel comfortable with my small diploma from a remote school. But I know better than believing them....
So much to love here, mainly because this is so much more accurate than other depictions of corporate life in movies. Like real life these people aren't chummy friends, they are co-workers in a professional environment with senior level responsibilities. They are leaders and thus the language is direct and the decisions come quickly. Also, the way the characters speak is perfectly indicative of their position. Tuld is self-deprecating because being the most powerful person in the room allows him to be so. Tuld also carries an air of menace that he conveys by looking people dead in the eye and staying very still, he lets you know that he knows that you fear him. Sullivan lays out the facts clearly because like most competent people who are close to the work, he understands the problem better than anyone else in the room. Sullivan is also junior enough that he probably hasn't been in enough of these meetings to understand the real danger and speak more guardedly. Jared Cohen is an slippery operator and waits for Tuld's lead before suggesting a direction. Cohen says little because he knew how this meeting was going to turn out before it started, likely because he already talked to Tuld. Sam is extremely experienced but also has already made his money and cares less about his future career. Sam's willing to grapple with Tuld because he doesn't care as much as the others. These are all such perfect depictions of different people at different stages in their careers. Whoever wrote this scene knows something about corporate life.
You're comment is one of the reasons why I've watched this scene multiple times already, I just love the dynamic of it. It's such a great depiction of corporate life. Great analysis! :) Maybe if you find it interesting, there is a scene on this YT channel from the movie the Big Short, where Front point partners are doing research in Florida and somebody also mentioned the difference in financial achievements, it's a great scene too to check out if you haven't already! :)
I like to think that Sam and Will Emerson had already discussed the possibility of the company selling out and decided to squeeze Tuld for as much payout as they could. Watch Sam give that "here we go" look at Will right after Tuld says "Sam, lets talk".
Ah, thanks for clearing that up, I was wondering why Cohen kept quiet initially when Tuld asked him about next steps...he didn’t want to officially be the one to put that option on the table. I also feel like Sam and Tuld probably started out at the firm at the same level but Tuld just advanced higher because of his tenacity and killer instinct. Reminds me of the Jack Nicholson and J.T Walsh relational dynamic in A Few Good Men.
putting music in that scene drags out completely the situational awareness. This ACTUALLY happened, not exactly like this, not with this dialogue, but this is ACTUALLY the Sub-Prime Crisis. This is no fiction, people in the real world suffered due to this. This movie is much closer to a fair interpretation of the game of state than anything else and music would destroy this completely. That at least is my opinion.
@Kent Horvath I think that was by design. He's clearly nervous in this situation, as anyone in his position likely would be, so he falls back on a set of vocabulary he's more comfortable with. To me it makes it seem even more human and real.
@MrSoccerball100 I watch it over and over again. Great scene. Most likely, one of the best scenes in a finance movie ever. Jeremy Irons is fantastic and Zach Quinto plays the entire role to perfection.
@@LordStanley94 I Rewatch this scene over and over too. My first job out of college was a Fund Accountant. My job was to come up with a net asset value (NAV) for the funds I worked. My calculations came up with a price people or more likely other investment banks could purchase shares of the fund for. You could find the NAV I calculated in the newspaper business sections. I got to see firsthand what’s going on in this scene. Obviously the situations and meetings I found myself in weren’t as dire as this scenario but things did get bumpy at times.
also the non-stop irony in phrases like "spilled milk under the bridge". Irons plays a man who has got his billions well tucked away somewhere and will survive the destruction of the company he's leading.
I have been in board meetings like this, both as an executive and as an outside advisor. It's completely terrifying at times. These are very senior, very powerful people...but with a powerful CEO such as the character played by Irons, there is always no question as to the hunter and the hunted in the room. The worst parts I felt were not the heated, explosive arguments and shouting, but the parts of silence, like when Irons calls out the Moore and Baker characters. That horrid, sickening silence when a question is asked that has no real answer. Where everyone is too afraid to speak because they know they have all screwed up, and that any statement will attract the wrath of the CEO, which can instantly destroy a career. This is one of the most realistic, best acted scenes of corporate life at the top I have ever seen.
"Talk to me as you might to a young child, or a golden retriever...it wasn't brains that got me here I can assure you that." Single-handedly the most powerful line in the scene.
Indeed! That's where the actor shows his greatness. His fidgeting and his demeanor show an alertness and focus typical of great intelligence. There's a certain humility in that sentence, but also a lot of camouflage and deceptiveness - like a true predator!
Actually that is just a trick: keeping a low profile so that you caneget the most out of the situation. The same is when you go to a job interview and they tell you that there are no right and wrong answers... also that you have to be absolutely truthful and open to them...
His intent hear is two fold. One he dose not know technical jargon, he is a salesman. And two he is reassuring Sullivan and putting him at his ease. Then after the info is explained, he dismisses him in a very complementary way. "Lord knows we have already relied on Mr Sullivan enough for one evening." Very good leadership in that.
I'm in awe of how realistic and well-acted this display of corporate dynamics is. Jeremy Irons displays the seemingly innocent detachment but also complete psychopathic ruthlessness of a CEO at a big company. I've seen it up close and this scene is by far the most accurate representation of the unique atmosphere of such meetings.
Sadly this is what happens in senior management meetings-been there done it. Explaining to a Senior Partner or Partners that it is brilliant that the Front Desk is making millions in profit but we, the bank, are losing double that in the "back office". Just to find that the Senior Partner has no idea what you talking of 🙄 and just cares if his/her bonus package at the year end is still in plus. Therefore I thank the gentleman who invented the door. I used it many time to walk out on people then Mr Irons and to leave them to figure out their next steps. The wonderful world of cut throat banking is portrayed in Margin Call in a perfect manner, I walked out on Lehman's 9 weeks before the call happened, after telling them that the underlying risk had overtaken the capital base and it was running on empty. I was hounded by the company but got my pay, my 13th salary and bonus paid out plus secured my pension was moved. That day still haunts me as I left my colleges in knowledge that it all was finished. Weeks later the police entered the offices and seized all documents and passed these onwards to the regulator's even my emails to New York. The only question I was asked by the regulator's "Why did they not act", my reply "They did not understand"; A 15 minute interview with a nice coffee.
it's actually good acting but horribly lacking in realism. if you know finance sector you will know. CEOs don't act this way. this is more like a western the way it's done.
Agreed. Goes to show that you don't need fancy CGI or massive budgets to make a great film. Fantastic dialog and commanding performances can carry a well written movie anytime.
@@zarni000 Sadly as someone who does work in Finance, I've personally met all to many CEO's who are exactly like this. As much as I'd prefer it to be otherwise.
Al Sapienza (Mikey Palmice from the Sopranos). I didn't recognize him at first (or second, or third), but yeah, it is a pretty great character (just like everyone else).
When people tell you that they're not smart it usually means that they ARE brilliant. Conversely, when people tell you that they are brilliant they are usually wrong.
I’ve watched this scene numerous times. And it always gives me the chills. In my 41 year professional career, I’ve attended and conducted some pretty awful and painful meetings. Some 30 plus years ago, myself and my peers were summoned to a steak and wine dinner at luxury hotel. I knew something was amiss by all the mindless chatter. As it worked out, I sat to the right of the CEO. After ordering few more bottles of wine, I turned to my boss and asked “Bill why are we really here?” That’s when he pulled a folded paper with hand drawn plan on how we were going to dismantle and sell off the company that I helped build over 25 years. At the risk of losing our hard earned “golden parachutes,” we were sworn to secrecy. For nearly 12 months I had to face our 300 plus employees knowing they were all were months from losing their jobs. It was sickening.
"For nearly 12 months I had to face our 300 plus employees knowing they were all were months from losing their jobs." no you didn't. you could have told them. you just liked the money more
@@sc_griffithThat would have actually made it worse for the employees, as it would mean the buyer would receive a company that is really ailing (because people who can afford to leave would leave, people who can't will stay with low morale). If you buy a what turns out to be an ailing company, then the buyers will usually start cutting more.
Irons is magnificent in this scene. He enters like a panther and immediately owns the room. I love the implied menace and subtle hand movements when he claims "it wasn't brains" that got him where he was (though the intelligence of his character is clear). The implication is that, it his defining characteristic is not his obvious intellect, but his utter ruthlessness.
@Tuco The Rat As presented here, no level of intelligence will help, for at this point, it was simply too late for ANY action to save the company. Their business model relied on speculative valuation and they were caught holding assets whose value had tanked. The choice was limited to either honestly taking the full loss and declaring bankruptcy or taking the sleazy (but possibly/arguably legal) way out by passing most of the loss on to others. This might enable the company to survive, and with the execs. getting their personal, executive 'golden parachutes'.
I'll go with Richard Crenna in the movie Rambo First Blood: "What possessed God in Heaven to make a bowl of chow mein like this? "God didn't make it, I did!"
As a junior analyst at a firm that's similar in many ways to the bank in this movie, I gotta give it to the actor playing Mr Sullivan - he captures the awkward nervousness of an analyst put on the spot in front of high ranking executives perfectly.
Mr. Sullivan is played by Zachary Quinto. He also played Mr. Spock in the J.J. Abrams "Star Trek" movies (Star Trek, Star Trek - Into Darkness, Star Trek Beyond).
There is so much magic in the scene. No soundtrack, the cold harsh light , gulf flipping the pages when he addresses Sullivan… the hierarchy….. this is something we all can relate to, yet it also feels like an impressionistic painting
"It wasn't brains that got me here I assure you." I love the look on his face as he says that. Jeremy Irons presents himself as the dumbest person in the room, but it's pretty clear that he's the smartest. The power of great acting, creating layers with intonation and body language.
His character is a moron (like the rest of the upper management) who was largely responsible for the whole crisis in the first place as well as scamming tons of companies and people out of their money, nothing more than a con man. I don't know why idiots like you worship this character just because he's some rich CEO.
"You'll never sell anything to any of those people ever again". "I understand". " Do you"? "Do you? This is it. I'm telling you this is it". I love the exchange of dialogue they did.
Everyone tells him they understand, he always bulldozes their confidence by instantly replying "Do you?". Only the top man ever bulldozes back "Do YOU?"
@@JonathanXLindqviust Yup, and John Tuld (Jeremy Irons) is absolutely right to push back on Sam. Tuld understands much more than Sam on two things: one, the toxic assets need to be cleared out or their firm is history, and two, even if they lose loyal customers who are going to be burned in the trade, there's always opportunities to get new customers who will eventually be loyal.
@@chrisj2511 Yeah the Big Short was a bit patronising at times and talked down to you. I mean, I have no background in economics or finance, but I understood enough in Margin Call to get what was happening. I rewatched it a few times since and now I understand most of it (a bit of googling also helped lol!).
Watching this scene over and over again you can find always find something new about Jeremy Irons character and I love it. There is so much to breakdown in this 9 minute clip.
i keeep coming back and back to this clip. Jeremy Irons is just phenomenal in every aspect as the big boss, title unknown, who runs a firm like this and makes life changing decisions in a heartbeat. It's actually perfect for showing what a real boss should act and be like.
I used to work for a guy like this, a French guy we knew as Freddy, a no shit boss, to the point, and very smart. God help anyone who tried to correct him, because they would be wrong and told so, same for those who honestly disagreed with him about something, they got corrective explanations and one chance to get back on the right path. He fired a lot of people and scared everyone, but always had a reason, and the team that remained delivered to a high standard. I learned a lot from him, but I didn't much enjoy it. One day he flew in to visit our factory, I picked him up from the airport at 8pm, I offered to take him straight to his hotel but he growled "oh no, take me straight to the factory", and when we got there all the other managers were waiting for him in reception with their ties on. He smiled at this and went round the factory and commented "It smells of paint, but I expected that, it means you have made an effort". At the end of the visit our plant manager got fired, but he was struggling anyway and Freddy saw straight through him immediately, it wasn't pretty to watch.
Especially when he says “it wasn’t brains that got me here”. Most leaders (who are billionaires) don’t know Jack shit about the industry becoz they don’t need to. They just need to lead.
“It wasn’t brains that got me here I can assure you that” lol perfect statement. A leader isn’t always the brainiac in the room but he’s definitely in control of everyone in that meeting
This is about the guts. He does need to analyze the situation thousand times, he just knows what to do. You need lots of knowledge and experience, but then you must let them go and trust your guts in situations like this.
i love this scene for the subtle heirarchy and power dynamics in it. but its also cleverly written in that the smartest guy in the room acts dumb- so that the viewer can get an explanation .
He is by far the most underrated actor I have every come across. I believe his weakness is also his strength: He does this type of character so perfectly, it's virtually impossible to imagine him playing any other type of role with any degree of credibility.
This is what happens when you put together a group of excellent actors in a scene. Every word, every move and body language makes art. The art of acting thats been very missing on movies nowadays
3:44 JESUS! It's incredible what Irons does here. When speaking to Sullivan, his face is stern and dominant, but ultimately non-threatening. He wants to reassure Sullivan so he's as calmed down as possible to give a clear explanation. And also he has correctly assessed that Sullivan, nervousness notwithstanding, knows what he's doing, so he gives proper respect. But then he gives a quick look to the people he knows responsible for the whole mess and... YIKES! I don't want to be on the receiving side of THAT look! So subtle, yet so powerful.
The return shot has Sullivan looking up while thinking of the numbers too. It's almost like Tuld gave that look when Sullivan wouldn't notice it so it wouldn't throw off his rhythm.
You’re absolutely right. He is so captivating. I replayed the part when he asked Sullivan to talk in plain English as if he were talking to a child or golden retriever. Perfect! 👌
USURPER He says “it wasn’t brains that got me here” and then flips the report with his thumb, rightly communicating that he’s the smartest person in the room. Where does this come from? Was it scripted, or is he just that good?
Also, having been in business-meetings of all kinds for the past 40 years, including meetings very much like this one, everything about this meeting is 'spot-on' - well done!
Well, no, you don't need special effects to portray a bussines meeting. Try portraying them use their superpowers to fight an alien invasion with no special effects.
I don't think, in my 70+ years, I have ever seen a better acted movie. The characters were totally believable, the situations believable, and the resulting consequences, in my own case, all too familiar. Great Movie, 5 stars.
Not something I'll ever forget either. I was doing great up to this point. I knew it was coming, I just didn't know when or how sudden it would be. Wiped me out. Lesson learned.
@@biplav32 As someone who isn't the original poster my input on the current state is a moving train that unless someone puts more fuel in it, it will slow down and fast
I hear ya. I'm 50 and a film buff and I tell everyone Margin Call is the best acted movie ever made. Everyone brings their A-game. Demi Moore, Stanley Tucci and Jeromy Irons are gold in their few scenes. This movie is a clinic on acting.
Notice how Jeremy Iron's character calls upon a different specialist to speak whenever a specific topic is brought up? That's what a truly formidable leader does, surrounding themselves with smarter people, so they can focus on being the decisive one. Even Kevin Spacey's character, who seems to be opposing him -- you need someone like that, a safeguard to save you from yourself from time to time, and when you feel compelled to do something in spite of the safeguard's advice, you know shit has really hit the fan.
He seems good at listening, a great asset indeed. But it's always hard to start up building something when nobody wants to help you, real specialists least of all, and you just have to grind by yourself til you're off the mud
@@ClaudeMagicbox There's an important distinction. Really good leaders are content to _not_ be the smartest guy in the room, mediocre ones feel like they have to be. I've seen this time and again in both business and politics.
I agree with you it there’s a Dilbert cartoon that talks about this whole notion of hiring people smarter than you, blah blah. They said if you really do that then the CEO is the dumbest person in the entire company and supposed to be the leader.
"You're speaking with me, Mr. Sullivan" as he shoots a wicked glare towards the Executive lackys. Love that part. He's got Sullivan's back. Probably made him a VP after that meeting.
Rooted Rotor the entire staff in the room likely lost their jobs, including the analyst who found this. The president at the end of the table likely lost his job as well.
Demi Moore doesn't have a single line in this scene, but the terrified expression on her face and her about-to-have-a-breakdown body language really sells how screwed the company is.
Also how screwed SHE is. The previous day she maneuvered to have the head risk assessment officer fired for personal reasons, and now everyone is low key pissed at her.
Brilliant acting. Her character F'd up big and as the movie progresses, even when not speaking, you can see the fear setting over more and more. For her, it's like being in a stalling plane and just waiting it out
The only fault I see in the scene is the fact that Robertson (Demi Moore) is not grilled badly by Cohen (CEO) and Ramesh (Chief of Legal Affairs). Tuld might fear to loose his money as the main stakeholder (and probably Prez of the Board)...but Cohen and Ramesh face possible criminal court cases all because of the complete failure of the Risk Management department run by her...
@@ClaudeMagicbox That's actually a good thing. He's not pissed at her at all. She's the patsy. That's why she gets a nice fat package. If she ends up with criminal time, it'll be minimal, and although her career is dead - this a moment where **** rolls uphill, but lucky for him, it's only going to roll so far. She gets the package to keep her quiet. It doesn't matter if she actually gets stuck with a charge... it'll be a slap on the wrist and short time in a cozy prison cell, of which will be lined with money. If that happens at all, which they will fight to make sure it doesn't. There wasn't many people prosecuted with white collar crime, and if they were, they absorbed so many faults they were clearly patsy's. This won't go anywhere, it's such a zoo to prove that they did anything maliciously - you can play ignorant very easily. If it comes between them, he has all the ways to throw dirt at her - but instead, he throws money at her, because he doesn't want to be *seen* throwing dirt at her. It'd be bad for morale. So instead he throws dirty money to reward her tarnished pool table. White collar crime very often goes rewarded, contrary to popular belief. Unless your offensive are egregious enough to anger your own company, obvious enough that a jury can understand it, and heinous enough for the victims to be clearly individual civilians.... you might as well kick back, because you're not going to see much jail time. I say jury, but it will likely go to a judge - but in terms of analysis, a judge has to be able to prove so much it might as well rest on the hands of a jury, because the court of public opinion in this regard rules - if they let you go and nobody cares, because they can't understand the crime, it's easier for them to let you go than have to take you up through thousands of court hours just to prove you "knew" you were doing wrong, which is almost impossible. In the end, you'll walk, and they'll write a new statute specifically citing this exact situation so the next person can be prosecuted - but due to the uniqueness of this situation, it will never ever happen again in the same way, using the same tools, which will be renamed and recontextualized to avoid the next time this happens. It'll just be slightly different enough so the statute is unusable. Easier to change an industry standard than to risk ever fighting a statute. In this scenario, in the real world equivalent - I think 1 person got successfully prosecuted and got his sentence reduced to nearly nothing. 2 years? Out in 6? Things can be real chummy at the very top, because evil pays well enough that you only have to get nasty when you have to get VERY nasty. It's why it's so seductive.
I have watched this little clip multiple times in 2 years... and the power within these few minutes is much greater than whole movies that keep pouring out of studios. What a masterpiece.
Notice how the CEO shook nobody but John’s hand. This was because this John is the non exec director here. All the others work for me so no need to be apologetic for you guys but John is a friend and I feel a little bad dragging him out middle of the night. The accuracy.
Nice. I thought that the CEO shook his hand because John is obviously the most "senior" in the room so the CEO shook his hand out of respect, the others are just scrubs, even if CXO.
Jeremy Irons owns this scene. I don't see him looking scared; just very detached." "It wasn't brains that got me here, I can assure you of that.".... And everybody in that room knows better.
@@anuar143 My guess would be that he was disappointed because his junior partners incompetence in dealing with these debts in his accountant book thus leaving the company vulnerable to bankruptcy.
There is some really brilliant stuff going on here. Tuld knows full well what the report says, and knows full well what they are going to end up doing about it. He had already decided before he walked into the room. The "speak to me as you would a young child" stuff is a smoke screen. Sullivan isn't explaining to Tuld. Tuld already knows. Tuld is using Sullivan to explain it to everyone else. That's why Tuld is so easy on Sullivan. He wouldn't accept "sort of" from anyone else. Tuld is working Sullivan, getting him to lay things out in exactly the way he (Tuld) wants. It is also fascinating how Sam and Tuld play off of each other. In this scene (and others in the movie), it is clear that there is a lot of history there. In a way, Sam is the only one in the room Tuld really respects. Making Sam describe the process of liquidating their holdings is really about getting Sam's buy-in on doing the hard things that they are going to have to do. Once Sam stands in front of the board and lays it out, he owns the plan, despite how much he objects to it. Tuld knows this. He knows he had Sam as soon as Sam laid it out. The entire meeting is theater, engineered by Tuld, to get others to lay out what he already understands.
People in charge are masters at playing and working people to do exactly what they want them to...you just hope that person in charge is working for everybody's best interest in the company.
I think he’s easy on Sullivan too because he recognises talent when he sees it. Sullivan practically saved the Firm and Tuld finds it amusing in a twisted way that such a young inexperienced no body could figure out the dire state the market was in AND have the guts to do something about it. This would appeal to a man like Tuld, possibly even seeing some of himself in the junior assistant. I have no doubt Tuld would be keeping Sullivan close after this to mentor him and hone his skills.
Such artistic talent. Jeremy Irons slowly escalates the tension with a final "do you know whats in here?" controlled anger in his voice and delivery and Spacey backs down, perfect syncing. And that nod to Carmelo was just classic. Play the scene over and over again and each time you find the talent all these actors put into this one scene.
It doesn't feel like acting because Paul Betany , Demi Moore and everyone else on that table really looked like real people do when they are in trouble at work ... Phenomenal acting...
JARUIS SANZ I’m a part of the staff team in my Marine Corps unit. I spend considerable amounts of time around our Commanding Officer. Been in a couple of these meetings where bad news has to be delivered. I got that same feeling I get when I’m in those meetings by watching this movie. Hair raised on my arms just waiting for someone’s voice to get raised and an ego to get checked. Some of the best acting so far of the century in this scene right here.
He's being modest when he says that, if he was stupid he would never sit there, but he doesn't deal with complex equations everyday as the analyst does. Instead, he goes meeting to meeting and makes deal becomes friend with other CEO's of financial companies over drinks ecc, and if they get along his entire company will trade billions with them. He got in that position because he probably went to a top university and then got very good at networking showing people that he is valuable because of his charisma, ability to take risks, ability to make influential contacts mostly, so when a position in a top financial firm became available they considered him because he was part of network of those top people already and had a degree in finance from a top university. They didn't give him an entry test or required him to do maths ecc....
Irons is so unbelievable good here. The way he processes everything and cuts through all the nonsense from 3:40-3:46. The slight pause as he goes from looking at Moore and Baker to Quinto is great. He instantly processes that the reason this stuff becomes a disaster is that people are afraid of speaking up so not to ruffle feathers. He immediately reassures Quinto, but then fires off a withering glance back at Moore and Baker. Amazing
One of the strongest phrases is also the "This is it!" - like everyone in the room knew that their business was built on shaky ground, and everyone just hoped to never see the day where everything blows up. Definitely some analogies there to the current QE measures / liquidity pumping globally...
@@mp4373 Yeah. I think what's so cool about this is, you have all these amazing actors playing these increasingly important roles, and then they just hit you with Irons as the man in charge in the story, and then he puts on a freaking masterclass in the span of six seconds.
@D J.F. its a commonly used term in the mafia for those who become part of the family. IE. "If I made you, how would you do this." in this case he just offered him a partnership position. check out this guy and his videos on this.. re: your question check out ruclips.net/video/MPjWRu5heGs/видео.html and look at the bottom of the list.. ofc there higher positions in a bank but you get the jist hopefully.
Some of the senior people in the meeting will lose their jobs. Sam Riley has stated a rational position and John Tuld is being calm and civil, respecting Sam's point of view. But he also making extremely clear that he expects Sam to execute the plan and save the firm from insolvent liquidation. Sam will keep his job because he is good at what he does, including being able to instantly propose a strategy for persuading market traders to sell their own jobs away. Jared Cohen (Simon Baker) will keep his job because he grasped the nettle and stated the only possible way the firm can escape from the trap it has made for itself - and because he was first. Demi Moore as Sarah Robertson will lose her job because she is head of Risk Management and it took a glorified college boy to demonstrate mathematically that the firm has its cock and balls in a vice and is waiting for someone else to crank the handle. Her job was to predict and prevent exactly the situation John Tuld is now fire-fighting against.
Kevin Spacey and Jeremy Irons perfected their roles as the leaders of the investment bank, showing much-needed concerns to the pressing issuses and varying levels of support to subordinates. Leaders can be cold and indifferent but they showed good leadership to save the bank from being dragged down by the subprime mortgage crises.
Zachary Quinto is the perfect example of someone who lives by the saying, "Strive to be the smartest person in the room, then - when you are, find a new room." This is real CEO philosophy right here.
I worked in the banking industry focused on international financial markets for 15 years before. These great actors are simply phenomenal in simulating the wisdom, knowledge, tension, and decisiveness in such corporate meetings under pressure. Bravo！
The scene that nailed it for me is when Stanley Tucci (Eric Dale) is asked to accompany the woman to a meeting. And he replies that he is in the middle of something important, the young lady says please follow me. That is almost word for word what happened to me when I was in the middle of project at a bank and I was asked to follow a lady into a conference room where I was fired. Also, they took my cell phone, parking pass, building pass and said that they would gather the contents of my desk and ship them to me. Now, 10 years later, I remember it as if it happened yesterday. My biggest regret was not taking a memo that was printed out on the copy machine by the President from our legal department that basically said in the event that the bank failed and was ceased by the Feds, ALL Executives would be personally liable for any and all losses the Fed took over. Two weeks after I was fired, the President resigned to take another position with a Seattle investment firm. And two months after that the CEO resigned to work at a Venture firm. A week after he left, the Feds ceased the parent bank which ultimately wound up failing. My advice to EVERYONE reading this who is in any position is to DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. Also, check the laws in your state regarding recording conversations without the other person's knowledge because believe me when it comes right down to it, management is always going to side with the Executive over the subordinate.
Yup, and sometimes there are less people in the business at the end of the meeting than at the start. Jeez, the preparation that went in and the pressure. Then the doctor told me I was stressed, and I couldn't believe it.
![Diggy Graves - Red Vineyard [Official Lyric Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/8Ro085T0mnQ/mqdefault.jpg)
"We are selling to willing buyers at the current fair market price."
Is the most CEO line of all time.
"Because you can get away with it":
real Nick Leeson (from Barings Banks debacle-documentary) is one of my favourites.
another good one: "but why do you need to wreck this company? - Because it's wreckable!" (wall street)
Be First.
Yeah, I mean this is pretty much the same as someone who clicks the sell button when they find out that the shares that they own is inherently worthless or massively overvalued. Just on a larger scale. Most people don't think its immoral to sell GME stock, or for TSLA to issue shares, or for people to sell bitcoin. Assets which are incredibly overvalued, that are worth far less than they trade for.
Well, that was true
After a day of soul crushing company meetings it's nice to come home and watch soul crushing company meetings on youtube!
LMAOOO was thinking the same shit
"soul crushing meetings"...... there are no souls, no meetings required where I work.
You goddamn right!!!😭😭
I feel you
A 'soul curshing company meeting' that finishes under ten minutes?? Shit, I would give my left kidney for such efficiency!
This is a criminally underlooked performance from Irons. He's utterly captivating in this scene. All his nuanced gestures, the reflective tone when he stares out of the window, the way he reassures the junior employee and makes himself appear more human than what he is. All of it is brilliant.
I see Scar when I hear Irons.
He was excellent I concur.
"That is spilt milk under the bridge."
The tiny details of how he delivers that line is 🤯.
yeap , hes talented for sure, I hope to see him in more movie
He's a living legend.
who else here have watched this scene for more than a hundred times? lol
I may have watched this like 20 or maybe 25 times only, so I have many more times to look forward to :) Great scene!
Yeah, this one and another one from The Big Short where Steve Eisman meets Wing Chau
not that much but yes, alot times i did
5 675 100 times
It’s by far my most watched video on RUclips.
Margin Call is such a criminally underrated film. The acting, the accuracy, the real world importance. A really great film.
Criminally underrated? It has a 87% score on meta-critic aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. How is that underrated?
@@johns4651 imdb rates it at 71% which is trash, imo it should be between 90%-100%. Great story, cast, acting and the message is powerful.
@@oliveroneil4340 ...……..completely agree. Clearly based on Lehman Brothers, it shines on so many levels. And if you ever wanted to know how to make a presentation to C-Suites - look no further.
I think some people (you) need to understand what underrated even means. It's widely praised. Far from what underrated is.
Underseen is perhaps more accurate.
No overacting, no action, no music, just drama and acting at it's finest. Even without the rest of the film this scene just captivates.
Just, Silence.
watch full movie, worth it. Understand the capitalism and manipulation 😆😆
For me this scene is right up there with the original 12 angry Men
True. You can hear HVAC in the background. The low hum of dread
The Big Short and Margin Call are the only two movies about finance that I strenuously recommend to absolutely everybody.
Add "Too Big to Fail" and you have the trifecta of perspectives on the 2008 crash. Investors, the banks, and the Government
Too big to fail is amazing. they explained the crisis to us like we are a "young child or a golden retriever"
I'm a finance student myself and I couldn't agree more. Both these movies got the entire shitshow on point
This was pretty good, but Big Short and Too Big to Fail were mich better.
@zhask
Wolf of Wall Street is a classic. One of the best films in the last 20 years. It is much, much different than Margin Call, so there's not much of a comparison.
Jeremy Irons- what a monster of an actor. This is as close to perfection as you can get. He could easily be a real life CEO - you do t see Irons here, you see the sleazy Tuld.
Tuld: Carmelo, eradicate poverty and get me world peace by noon.
Carmelo: It’s done.
Carmelo is sick
How did Carmelo do
@@alexandernoskov60 he didn't do shit and Emerson who's the one found Eric by the end of the day.
@@Amr_D you must have been watching this movie wasted or smth. Just take a closer look at the scene where Vision has finished his small talk with Mr. Dale. There was a black corporate sedan with T-800 (Carmelo skin model) inside. It was polite enough to let them finish. As soon as Vision's left it approached Mr.Dale saying: "Come with me if you want to leave"
@@alexandernoskov60 what's Vision? His name is Will Emerson.
That is why Jeremy Irons earns big bucks. This is the best scene in the movie.
This is the best scene? wow
In a movie with a lot big name actors, Irons comes in for a brief amount in this one scene and blows them away, truly great presence
evil scar my friend.. keeps hunting me since the lion king :)
Irons was spectacular in this movie.
His tenor of speech. Speak to me as if your speaking to a 6 year old all the while utilizing his expertise from the stage. Just spectacular.
@@batfly Yes, among so many great scenes within an outstanding movie, this one is considered to be the best scene to many.
"It wasn't brains that got me here, I can assure you of that." Along with the accompanying smile, one of the most terrifying lines ever uttered on film.
I have heard that same line from a bunch of Scientists and PHDs trying to make me feel comfortable with my small diploma from a remote school. But I know better than believing them....
@@p6x2 do you think they lied to you ?
...and the "..no, I dont cheat..."
Looks like it wasn't brains that made you come up with this comment as well.
@@liberty2four2 that's why he had to be first and he believe his smart
Anyone rewatch this scene every month or so? I’m amazed at how accurate this is .
Yup. I'm a junkie for this scene. I must have watched it a hundred times.
“Spilt milk under the bridge”…..clever combination
So much to love here, mainly because this is so much more accurate than other depictions of corporate life in movies. Like real life these people aren't chummy friends, they are co-workers in a professional environment with senior level responsibilities. They are leaders and thus the language is direct and the decisions come quickly. Also, the way the characters speak is perfectly indicative of their position. Tuld is self-deprecating because being the most powerful person in the room allows him to be so. Tuld also carries an air of menace that he conveys by looking people dead in the eye and staying very still, he lets you know that he knows that you fear him. Sullivan lays out the facts clearly because like most competent people who are close to the work, he understands the problem better than anyone else in the room. Sullivan is also junior enough that he probably hasn't been in enough of these meetings to understand the real danger and speak more guardedly. Jared Cohen is an slippery operator and waits for Tuld's lead before suggesting a direction. Cohen says little because he knew how this meeting was going to turn out before it started, likely because he already talked to Tuld. Sam is extremely experienced but also has already made his money and cares less about his future career. Sam's willing to grapple with Tuld because he doesn't care as much as the others. These are all such perfect depictions of different people at different stages in their careers. Whoever wrote this scene knows something about corporate life.
You're comment is one of the reasons why I've watched this scene multiple times already, I just love the dynamic of it. It's such a great depiction of corporate life. Great analysis! :)
Maybe if you find it interesting, there is a scene on this YT channel from the movie the Big Short, where Front point partners are doing research in Florida and somebody also mentioned the difference in financial achievements, it's a great scene too to check out if you haven't already! :)
Word.
I like to think that Sam and Will Emerson had already discussed the possibility of the company selling out and decided to squeeze Tuld for as much payout as they could. Watch Sam give that "here we go" look at Will right after Tuld says "Sam, lets talk".
Ah, thanks for clearing that up, I was wondering why Cohen kept quiet initially when Tuld asked him about next steps...he didn’t want to officially be the one to put that option on the table. I also feel like Sam and Tuld probably started out at the firm at the same level but Tuld just advanced higher because of his tenacity and killer instinct. Reminds me of the Jack Nicholson and J.T Walsh relational dynamic in A Few Good Men.
it isn't corporate "life". This ain't life. it is purgatory.
I think what many are missing out on, is a large part of what makes the film and this scene in particularly great, is the lack of music.
You're right. Music can be nice and all, but scenes without music, like this one, can be even more beautiful and intense.
Most dialogue-intensive scenes don't have music anyway. "You can't handle the truth", etc.
Don't forget the AC unit in the background, chilling effect, literally.....!!
how they'd play music during a meeting scene? lol
putting music in that scene drags out completely the situational awareness. This ACTUALLY happened, not exactly like this, not with this dialogue, but this is ACTUALLY the Sub-Prime Crisis. This is no fiction, people in the real world suffered due to this. This movie is much closer to a fair interpretation of the game of state than anything else and music would destroy this completely. That at least is my opinion.
John Wick checks under his bed for carmelo before sleeping
Absolute belter of a line. Kudos.
Imagine the number of coins, Jeremy irons/ John tuld would be having...
This is seriously one of the best acted scenes I’ve ever seen. I feel like I’m in that damn room.
The whole movie is very underrated.
@Kent Horvath I think that was by design. He's clearly nervous in this situation, as anyone in his position likely would be, so he falls back on a set of vocabulary he's more comfortable with. To me it makes it seem even more human and real.
you better believe it!
@MrSoccerball100 I watch it over and over again. Great scene. Most likely, one of the best scenes in a finance movie ever. Jeremy Irons is fantastic and Zach Quinto plays the entire role to perfection.
@@LordStanley94 I Rewatch this scene over and over too. My first job out of college was a Fund Accountant. My job was to come up with a net asset value (NAV) for the funds I worked. My calculations came up with a price people or more likely other investment banks could purchase shares of the fund for. You could find the NAV I calculated in the newspaper business sections. I got to see firsthand what’s going on in this scene. Obviously the situations and meetings I found myself in weren’t as dire as this scenario but things did get bumpy at times.
Jeremy Irons just KILLS this scene. He's in beast mode here - quiet intimidation. I would not like to be any of these guys. You can feel the tension.
Jean-Paul Moreau If the adjective ‘superb’ was ever made for anyone, it is Sir Jeremy.
also the non-stop irony in phrases like "spilled milk under the bridge". Irons plays a man who has got his billions well tucked away somewhere and will survive the destruction of the company he's leading.
Poor Peter realizes he's WAY in over his head. Killer performance by the actor
Superb scene in this entire movie.
I have been in board meetings like this, both as an executive and as an outside advisor. It's completely terrifying at times. These are very senior, very powerful people...but with a powerful CEO such as the character played by Irons, there is always no question as to the hunter and the hunted in the room. The worst parts I felt were not the heated, explosive arguments and shouting, but the parts of silence, like when Irons calls out the Moore and Baker characters. That horrid, sickening silence when a question is asked that has no real answer. Where everyone is too afraid to speak because they know they have all screwed up, and that any statement will attract the wrath of the CEO, which can instantly destroy a career. This is one of the most realistic, best acted scenes of corporate life at the top I have ever seen.
"Talk to me as you might to a young child, or a golden retriever...it wasn't brains that got me here I can assure you that." Single-handedly the most powerful line in the scene.
Indeed!
That's where the actor shows his greatness. His fidgeting and his demeanor show an alertness and focus typical of great intelligence. There's a certain humility in that sentence, but also a lot of camouflage and deceptiveness - like a true predator!
Actually that is just a trick: keeping a low profile so that you caneget the most out of the situation. The same is when you go to a job interview and they tell you that there are no right and wrong answers... also that you have to be absolutely truthful and open to them...
one of them--the entire cut is perfect with many great lines.
me: WOOF, WOOF WOOF!
His intent hear is two fold. One he dose not know technical jargon, he is a salesman. And two he is reassuring Sullivan and putting him at his ease. Then after the info is explained, he dismisses him in a very complementary way. "Lord knows we have already relied on Mr Sullivan enough for one evening." Very good leadership in that.
I'm in awe of how realistic and well-acted this display of corporate dynamics is. Jeremy Irons displays the seemingly innocent detachment but also complete psychopathic ruthlessness of a CEO at a big company. I've seen it up close and this scene is by far the most accurate representation of the unique atmosphere of such meetings.
Sadly this is what happens in senior management meetings-been there done it. Explaining to a Senior Partner or Partners that it is brilliant that the Front Desk is making millions in profit but we, the bank, are losing double that in the "back office". Just to find that the Senior Partner has no idea what you talking of 🙄 and just cares if his/her bonus package at the year end is still in plus.
Therefore I thank the gentleman who invented the door. I used it many time to walk out on people then Mr Irons and to leave them to figure out their next steps. The wonderful world of cut throat banking is portrayed in Margin Call in a perfect manner, I walked out on Lehman's 9 weeks before the call happened, after telling them that the underlying risk had overtaken the capital base and it was running on empty. I was hounded by the company but got my pay, my 13th salary and bonus paid out plus secured my pension was moved. That day still haunts me as I left my colleges in knowledge that it all was finished. Weeks later the police entered the offices and seized all documents and passed these onwards to the regulator's even my emails to New York. The only question I was asked by the regulator's "Why did they not act", my reply "They did not understand"; A 15 minute interview with a nice coffee.
Carmello: "I have Eric Dale for you, sir."
Mr Tuld: "I meant alive, Carmello. Did I really have to specify that?"
Saved a couple million in bonuses for servoces rendered.
When a CEO invites into a VIP meeting a guy called "Carmello" you know its not the usual handyman
Still fascinated by this scene all these years later. Margin Call is a cut above. So well done.
It is literally spot on, minus all the boring reading of paragraphs from contracts.
it's actually good acting but horribly lacking in realism. if you know finance sector you will know. CEOs don't act this way. this is more like a western the way it's done.
Agreed. Goes to show that you don't need fancy CGI or massive budgets to make a great film. Fantastic dialog and commanding performances can carry a well written movie anytime.
@@zarni000 I don't know the finance sector. What's off about it?
@@zarni000 Sadly as someone who does work in Finance, I've personally met all to many CEO's who are exactly like this.
As much as I'd prefer it to be otherwise.
Can we just take a moment to appreciate Carmelo...unwavering confidence and zero doubts ‘it’s done’
"If Eric Dale doesn't come, I'll just have to kidnap him."
Al Sapienza (Mikey Palmice from the Sopranos). I didn't recognize him at first (or second, or third), but yeah, it is a pretty great character (just like everyone else).
I wonder what his role is at an IB, does every IB have their own fixer or what?
@@minhha25 He does general miscelanous stuffs like the secretary of the CEO. And some shady stuffs.
@@nsebast
My guess he's the Head of that bank's 'internal security' ...
Anyone else getting recommended this video for literally everything ever?
Yeah lol i only clicked to see who else got it
yes and I watch it everytime
This movie deserve a bunch of retroactive OSCARS.
“It’s not brains that got me here, i can assure you of that” The smile in his face when he finishes that sentence is brilliant
....It's like a direct challenge to Sullivan. He better not b.s. the CEO.
He's a great actor, such a shame he mostly plays 'baddies' in typical blockbuster schlock these days.
BUT, it was brains. Lot's of it...
When people tell you that they're not smart it usually means that they ARE brilliant. Conversely, when people tell you that they are brilliant they are usually wrong.
@@1notgilty I once heard a teacher of mine say: "The more I know.... The more I realize, just how much I don't know" 😊
I’ve watched this scene numerous times. And it always gives me the chills. In my 41 year professional career, I’ve attended and conducted some pretty awful and painful meetings. Some 30 plus years ago, myself and my peers were summoned to a steak and wine dinner at luxury hotel. I knew something was amiss by all the mindless chatter. As it worked out, I sat to the right of the CEO. After ordering few more bottles of wine, I turned to my boss and asked “Bill why are we really here?” That’s when he pulled a folded paper with hand drawn plan on how we were going to dismantle and sell off the company that I helped build over 25 years. At the risk of losing our hard earned “golden parachutes,” we were sworn to secrecy. For nearly 12 months I had to face our 300 plus employees knowing they were all were months from losing their jobs. It was sickening.
"For nearly 12 months I had to face our 300 plus employees knowing they were all were months from losing their jobs." no you didn't. you could have told them. you just liked the money more
People like you are not needed in a decent society.
And?
@@sc_griffithThat would have actually made it worse for the employees, as it would mean the buyer would receive a company that is really ailing (because people who can afford to leave would leave, people who can't will stay with low morale). If you buy a what turns out to be an ailing company, then the buyers will usually start cutting more.
I bet you still slept like a baby when they let everyone go.
"speak as you might to a young child..." - Brilliant, one of Einstein's quotes: If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.
or to a labrador retriever...
Bad guy in galaxy quest said it too.
R bere Id rather quote a beagle
No he said that for the audience to understand
Pity it’s not true though. Understanding something and being capable of explaining it do not necessarily go hand in hand.
Irons is magnificent in this scene. He enters like a panther and immediately owns the room. I love the implied menace and subtle hand movements when he claims "it wasn't brains" that got him where he was (though the intelligence of his character is clear). The implication is that, it his defining characteristic is not his obvious intellect, but his utter ruthlessness.
@House of God Great post. Honesty is a bitch.
A wolf among lambs
He's the boss
@Tuco The Rat As presented here, no level of intelligence will help, for at this point, it was simply too late for ANY action to save the company. Their business model relied on speculative valuation and they were caught holding assets whose value had tanked.
The choice was limited to either honestly taking the full loss and declaring bankruptcy or taking the sleazy (but possibly/arguably legal) way out by passing most of the loss on to others. This might enable the company to survive, and with the execs. getting their personal, executive 'golden parachutes'.
His charactor was based on Dick Fuld (Fuld -> Tuld, get it) who was known as The Gorilla.
Jeremy Irons stole the screen, the scene, the movie and the entire film industry. How can be this scene so captivating....
For real, every once in a while, I just watch it again. Jeremy Irons rocks this and you nailed it. He owns this movie.
I've probably seen this clip a hundred times. All of the performances were brilliant.
Speak as you would to a young child, or a Golden Retriever. It wasn't brains that got me here. I can assure you of that.
@@marilync9291 Me too, each time I find it awesome.
Perhaps, but Quinto got his attention. Big time.
If Jeremy Irons sold tickets to listen to him read a Chinese restaurant menu, I would be first in line.
him and Charles Dance. don’t forget Jack Nicholson too!
@@barrettincognito And late John Hurt !
And you'd order what he damn well told you to, wouldn't you.
Agreed. Along with the great and late Alan Rickman.
I'll go with Richard Crenna in the movie Rambo First Blood:
"What possessed God in Heaven to make a bowl of chow mein like this?
"God didn't make it, I did!"
This scene specifically is the most well-cast I have ever seen. The personalities are so perfect its surreal.
As a junior analyst at a firm that's similar in many ways to the bank in this movie, I gotta give it to the actor playing Mr Sullivan - he captures the awkward nervousness of an analyst put on the spot in front of high ranking executives perfectly.
Which firm?
@@1526andrews One of the MBB
It worked out for him too, he must have made a hell of an impression with the boss, because by the end of that day he gets promoted to Robinson's job.
Mr. Sullivan is played by Zachary Quinto. He also played Mr. Spock in the J.J. Abrams "Star Trek" movies (Star Trek, Star Trek - Into Darkness, Star Trek Beyond).
No, it missed him jumping into some detail in his analysis that he considers very important and getting stopped dead in his tracks
There is so much magic in the scene. No soundtrack, the cold harsh light , gulf flipping the pages when he addresses Sullivan… the hierarchy….. this is something we all can relate to, yet it also feels like an impressionistic painting
"It wasn't brains that got me here I assure you." I love the look on his face as he says that. Jeremy Irons presents himself as the dumbest person in the room, but it's pretty clear that he's the smartest. The power of great acting, creating layers with intonation and body language.
His character is a moron (like the rest of the upper management) who was largely responsible for the whole crisis in the first place as well as scamming tons of companies and people out of their money, nothing more than a con man. I don't know why idiots like you worship this character just because he's some rich CEO.
@@robertostevens2666 being a moron does not make you the ceo of goldman sachs or something like that.
@@robertostevens2666 don't hate your managers dude, they started just where you are.
"You'll never sell anything to any of those people ever again".
"I understand".
" Do you"?
"Do you? This is it. I'm telling you this is it".
I love the exchange of dialogue they did.
Everyone tells him they understand, he always bulldozes their confidence by instantly replying "Do you?". Only the top man ever bulldozes back "Do YOU?"
is good, but markets always bring new opportunities....Sam seemed so depressed....!
@@JonathanXLindqviust Yup, and John Tuld (Jeremy Irons) is absolutely right to push back on Sam. Tuld understands much more than Sam on two things: one, the toxic assets need to be cleared out or their firm is history, and two, even if they lose loyal customers who are going to be burned in the trade, there's always opportunities to get new customers who will eventually be loyal.
"You can't HANDLE the truth!" Wait, sorry wrong movie.... lol
Either sell nothing to them ever again, or sell nothing ever again at all if even that.
Jeremy Irons.. seriously, all i want- is to hear and see him speak. such power..
Yeah me too.
Yes he has a very powerful presence. Always had! 💯 I saw this movie and prefer it much more over " the big short".
@@chrisj2511 Yeah the Big Short was a bit patronising at times and talked down to you. I mean, I have no background in economics or finance, but I understood enough in Margin Call to get what was happening. I rewatched it a few times since and now I understand most of it (a bit of googling also helped lol!).
Am I the only one who keeps watching this scene over n over n over again just because if the commanding presence of Jeremy Irons?
Watching this scene over and over again you can find always find something new about Jeremy Irons character and I love it. There is so much to breakdown in this 9 minute clip.
i keeep coming back and back to this clip. Jeremy Irons is just phenomenal in every aspect as the big boss, title unknown, who runs a firm like this and makes life changing decisions in a heartbeat. It's actually perfect for showing what a real boss should act and be like.
I used to work for a guy like this, a French guy we knew as Freddy, a no shit boss, to the point, and very smart. God help anyone who tried to correct him, because they would be wrong and told so, same for those who honestly disagreed with him about something, they got corrective explanations and one chance to get back on the right path. He fired a lot of people and scared everyone, but always had a reason, and the team that remained delivered to a high standard. I learned a lot from him, but I didn't much enjoy it.
One day he flew in to visit our factory, I picked him up from the airport at 8pm, I offered to take him straight to his hotel but he growled "oh no, take me straight to the factory", and when we got there all the other managers were waiting for him in reception with their ties on. He smiled at this and went round the factory and commented "It smells of paint, but I expected that, it means you have made an effort". At the end of the visit our plant manager got fired, but he was struggling anyway and Freddy saw straight through him immediately, it wasn't pretty to watch.
@@TheophilusPWildbeest thanks for Sharing this thought
Me too I've seen this clip a dozen times and will continue to do so. The acting here is just awesome especially Mr. Irons!
Even when he smiles, he's a predator.
Especially when he says “it wasn’t brains that got me here”. Most leaders (who are billionaires) don’t know Jack shit about the industry becoz they don’t need to. They just need to lead.
“It wasn’t brains that got me here I can assure you that” lol perfect statement. A leader isn’t always the brainiac in the room but he’s definitely in control of everyone in that meeting
This is about the guts. He does need to analyze the situation thousand times, he just knows what to do. You need lots of knowledge and experience, but then you must let them go and trust your guts in situations like this.
i love this scene for the subtle heirarchy and power dynamics in it. but its also cleverly written in that the smartest guy in the room acts dumb- so that the viewer can get an explanation .
He's so effortlessly intimidating.
Genuinely fantastic film
Amazing acting. Irons isn't even trying to be clever and yet shows why he is an Oscar winning star. Just another class.
He is by far the most underrated actor I have every come across. I believe his weakness is also his strength: He does this type of character so perfectly, it's virtually impossible to imagine him playing any other type of role with any degree of credibility.
Thormm Thanks for the tip. I will check that out!
@@vondahe you should watch him in the film Danny the champion of the world.
"Carmelo, break me off a piece of that kit kat bar"
"its done"
😳🤔😀😂😂👍👍👍👍
Carmelo is Mikey Palmice from The Sopranos
Jeremy Irons stole the screen, the scene, the movie and the entire film industry. How can be this scene so captivating....
haha
@@CubanCubeFan hey mickey how s the boy? 😁
This is what happens when you put together a group of excellent actors in a scene. Every word, every move and body language makes art. The art of acting thats been very missing on movies nowadays
3:44 JESUS! It's incredible what Irons does here. When speaking to Sullivan, his face is stern and dominant, but ultimately non-threatening. He wants to reassure Sullivan so he's as calmed down as possible to give a clear explanation. And also he has correctly assessed that Sullivan, nervousness notwithstanding, knows what he's doing, so he gives proper respect. But then he gives a quick look to the people he knows responsible for the whole mess and... YIKES! I don't want to be on the receiving side of THAT look!
So subtle, yet so powerful.
non-threatening. "You are speaking to me Mr. Sullivan" - threatening: that look ....
Been on the receiving end of that look, it is a Tums moment.
The return shot has Sullivan looking up while thinking of the numbers too. It's almost like Tuld gave that look when Sullivan wouldn't notice it so it wouldn't throw off his rhythm.
Jeremy Irons gets and holds your attention like NO one else.
* Al pacino, :>)
You’re absolutely right. He is so captivating. I replayed the part when he asked Sullivan to talk in plain English as if he were talking to a child or golden retriever. Perfect! 👌
USURPER He says “it wasn’t brains that got me here” and then flips the report with his thumb, rightly communicating that he’s the smartest person in the room. Where does this come from? Was it scripted, or is he just that good?
I have seen this scene around 50 times as of now since one year, wat a marvelous meeting
The quality of the actors : no need for special effects , loud music , useless crap ....
The Quality of the actors !!
You look like the dictionary definition of: North Italian douchebag
Preach!
Also, having been in business-meetings of all kinds for the past 40 years, including meetings very much like this one, everything about this meeting is 'spot-on' - well done!
Well, no, you don't need special effects to portray a bussines meeting. Try portraying them use their superpowers to fight an alien invasion with no special effects.
Agreed. You might like the film 12 Angry Men for exactly the same reasons.
Brilliant writing, casting, direction, and superb acting. Jeremy Irons just wallops you with his stunning performance.
I don't think, in my 70+ years, I have ever seen a better acted movie. The characters were totally believable, the situations believable, and the resulting consequences, in my own case, all too familiar. Great Movie, 5 stars.
Not something I'll ever forget either. I was doing great up to this point. I knew it was coming, I just didn't know when or how sudden it would be.
Wiped me out.
Lesson learned.
@@antonystringfellow5152 As someone who lived through that , what do you think about our current economy?
@@biplav32 As someone who isn't the original poster my input on the current state is a moving train that unless someone puts more fuel in it, it will slow down and fast
I hear ya. I'm 50 and a film buff and I tell everyone Margin Call is the best acted movie ever made. Everyone brings their A-game. Demi Moore, Stanley Tucci and Jeromy Irons are gold in their few scenes. This movie is a clinic on acting.
Are you a quant?
Irons completely owns this scene and every actor in it.
So true
He does some mighty fine acting here.
The man's voice alone. Keeps me watching. Legendary. I love this scene. Even the guy from "You" is there 😁
His smile at 1:21.
Every Actor in that scene is quietly brilliant. All of them, all throughout the film. There is not a weak moment in this great film.
'SO THAT WE MAY SURVIVE!!' - Love the way he delivers that line
"Carmelo, find the music for me"
"It's done."
I seriously want to know more about this background; seems like a former CIA spook?
Carbelo
Jeremy Irons OWNS every scene he's in.
Notice how Jeremy Iron's character calls upon a different specialist to speak whenever a specific topic is brought up? That's what a truly formidable leader does, surrounding themselves with smarter people, so they can focus on being the decisive one. Even Kevin Spacey's character, who seems to be opposing him -- you need someone like that, a safeguard to save you from yourself from time to time, and when you feel compelled to do something in spite of the safeguard's advice, you know shit has really hit the fan.
He seems good at listening, a great asset indeed. But it's always hard to start up building something when nobody wants to help you, real specialists least of all, and you just have to grind by yourself til you're off the mud
Tong Lu
It’s simply called executive management.
@@ClaudeMagicbox There's an important distinction. Really good leaders are content to _not_ be the smartest guy in the room, mediocre ones feel like they have to be. I've seen this time and again in both business and politics.
That's why he gets the big bucks
I agree with you it there’s a Dilbert cartoon that talks about this whole notion of hiring people smarter than you, blah blah. They said if you really do that then the CEO is the dumbest person in the entire company and supposed to be the leader.
"You're speaking with me, Mr. Sullivan" as he shoots a wicked glare towards the Executive lackys. Love that part. He's got Sullivan's back. Probably made him a VP after that meeting.
Rooted Rotor the entire staff in the room likely lost their jobs, including the analyst who found this. The president at the end of the table likely lost his job as well.
I think he was VP level already. Will Emerson would be probably a Managing Director in my opinion.
@@BlackHawk2901 If I remember correctly they survived but just barely. They were lucky to pull this off just in time.
@@BlackHawk2901 Yeah, I hear ya. I like to think it ended differently for Sullivan though.
@@TheCheech888 Sullivan was the analyst
The realism of this movie makes this like a documentary. Incredible. Well-made!
"It wasn't brains that got me here..." Knowing every second what he was going to hear and what he was going to do.
Whoever wrote this scene is an f’n genius. And, I’m not taking anything away from either Irons or Spacey who delivered it.
The writing overall is refreshingly good and so unusual for modern Hollywood trash.
and Zach Quinto
"Speek as you would to a young child or golden retriever". Classic.
Demi Moore doesn't have a single line in this scene, but the terrified expression on her face and her about-to-have-a-breakdown body language really sells how screwed the company is.
Did you watch the whole scene? She does have a line.
Also how screwed SHE is. The previous day she maneuvered to have the head risk assessment officer fired for personal reasons, and now everyone is low key pissed at her.
Brilliant acting. Her character F'd up big and as the movie progresses, even when not speaking, you can see the fear setting over more and more. For her, it's like being in a stalling plane and just waiting it out
The only fault I see in the scene is the fact that Robertson (Demi Moore) is not grilled badly by Cohen (CEO) and Ramesh (Chief of Legal Affairs). Tuld might fear to loose his money as the main stakeholder (and probably Prez of the Board)...but Cohen and Ramesh face possible criminal court cases all because of the complete failure of the Risk Management department run by her...
@@ClaudeMagicbox That's actually a good thing. He's not pissed at her at all.
She's the patsy.
That's why she gets a nice fat package. If she ends up with criminal time, it'll be minimal, and although her career is dead - this a moment where **** rolls uphill, but lucky for him, it's only going to roll so far. She gets the package to keep her quiet. It doesn't matter if she actually gets stuck with a charge... it'll be a slap on the wrist and short time in a cozy prison cell, of which will be lined with money. If that happens at all, which they will fight to make sure it doesn't.
There wasn't many people prosecuted with white collar crime, and if they were, they absorbed so many faults they were clearly patsy's. This won't go anywhere, it's such a zoo to prove that they did anything maliciously - you can play ignorant very easily. If it comes between them, he has all the ways to throw dirt at her - but instead, he throws money at her, because he doesn't want to be *seen* throwing dirt at her. It'd be bad for morale.
So instead he throws dirty money to reward her tarnished pool table.
White collar crime very often goes rewarded, contrary to popular belief. Unless your offensive are egregious enough to anger your own company, obvious enough that a jury can understand it, and heinous enough for the victims to be clearly individual civilians.... you might as well kick back, because you're not going to see much jail time. I say jury, but it will likely go to a judge - but in terms of analysis, a judge has to be able to prove so much it might as well rest on the hands of a jury, because the court of public opinion in this regard rules - if they let you go and nobody cares, because they can't understand the crime, it's easier for them to let you go than have to take you up through thousands of court hours just to prove you "knew" you were doing wrong, which is almost impossible. In the end, you'll walk, and they'll write a new statute specifically citing this exact situation so the next person can be prosecuted - but due to the uniqueness of this situation, it will never ever happen again in the same way, using the same tools, which will be renamed and recontextualized to avoid the next time this happens. It'll just be slightly different enough so the statute is unusable. Easier to change an industry standard than to risk ever fighting a statute.
In this scenario, in the real world equivalent - I think 1 person got successfully prosecuted and got his sentence reduced to nearly nothing. 2 years? Out in 6?
Things can be real chummy at the very top, because evil pays well enough that you only have to get nasty when you have to get VERY nasty.
It's why it's so seductive.
I have watched this little clip multiple times in 2 years... and the power within these few minutes is much greater than whole movies that keep pouring out of studios. What a masterpiece.
Notice how the CEO shook nobody but John’s hand. This was because this John is the non exec director here. All the others work for me so no need to be apologetic for you guys but John is a friend and I feel a little bad dragging him out middle of the night. The accuracy.
Nice. I thought that the CEO shook his hand because John is obviously the most "senior" in the room so the CEO shook his hand out of respect, the others are just scrubs, even if CXO.
I always wondered about that!! Thanks for explaining it.
I thought he was the CFO so he deserved the handshake
or maybe John is a member of the Board of Directors who needs to present a senior partner's emergency meeting
Or maybe he's just more familiar and friendly with him than with the other execs.
Simply one of the most dramatic scenes of any business movie. Jeremy Irons performance was spectacular.
carmello, get me the vaccine for covid19
it's done
If only Carmelo was still around, he got the 'rona too.
wait... Mr. Gates first name is Carmelo???
So Carmello is german?
Hahahahahahahaha!
Lol!!
Kevin Spacey's the only one not looking scared to death.
Because he's the only other character who's stuck around for that long to know what's coming down the pike.
Jeremy Irons owns this scene. I don't see him looking scared; just very detached."
"It wasn't brains that got me here, I can assure you of that.".... And everybody in that room knows better.
He's not scared, just disappointed.
@@ArchimedeanEye disappointed for what? He was part of the problem
@@anuar143 My guess would be that he was disappointed because his junior partners incompetence in dealing with these debts in his accountant book thus leaving the company vulnerable to bankruptcy.
There is some really brilliant stuff going on here. Tuld knows full well what the report says, and knows full well what they are going to end up doing about it. He had already decided before he walked into the room.
The "speak to me as you would a young child" stuff is a smoke screen. Sullivan isn't explaining to Tuld. Tuld already knows. Tuld is using Sullivan to explain it to everyone else. That's why Tuld is so easy on Sullivan. He wouldn't accept "sort of" from anyone else. Tuld is working Sullivan, getting him to lay things out in exactly the way he (Tuld) wants.
It is also fascinating how Sam and Tuld play off of each other. In this scene (and others in the movie), it is clear that there is a lot of history there. In a way, Sam is the only one in the room Tuld really respects. Making Sam describe the process of liquidating their holdings is really about getting Sam's buy-in on doing the hard things that they are going to have to do. Once Sam stands in front of the board and lays it out, he owns the plan, despite how much he objects to it. Tuld knows this. He knows he had Sam as soon as Sam laid it out.
The entire meeting is theater, engineered by Tuld, to get others to lay out what he already understands.
Yes, exceellent analysis. It shows seasoned CEO is instrumental in making decisions (good or bad) and getting buy in on that decision.
It must be some history that in a room of 18 people he is the only one to call the CEO by his first name.
Absolutely & astonishingly truthful commentary!!!
People in charge are masters at playing and working people to do exactly what they want them to...you just hope that person in charge is working for everybody's best interest in the company.
I think he’s easy on Sullivan too because he recognises talent when he sees it.
Sullivan practically saved the Firm and Tuld finds it amusing in a twisted way that such a young inexperienced no body could figure out the dire state the market was in AND have the guts to do something about it.
This would appeal to a man like Tuld, possibly even seeing some of himself in the junior assistant.
I have no doubt Tuld would be keeping Sullivan close after this to mentor him and hone his skills.
"Carmelo, how's my steak?"
"It's done."
*shoots Carmelo*
Such artistic talent. Jeremy Irons slowly escalates the tension with a final "do you know whats in here?" controlled anger in his voice and delivery and Spacey backs down, perfect syncing. And that nod to Carmelo was just classic. Play the scene over and over again and each time you find the talent all these actors put into this one scene.
Carmelo is a straight up gangster. A fixer
It doesn't feel like acting because Paul Betany , Demi Moore and everyone else on that table really looked like real people do when they are in trouble at work ... Phenomenal acting...
LOL yeah righteo dude
Paul Betany? Did not see him in this scene at all. Are you referring to the overall movie?
@@slugerama His character is sitting to the right of Spacey's character.
JARUIS SANZ I’m a part of the staff team in my Marine Corps unit. I spend considerable amounts of time around our Commanding Officer. Been in a couple of these meetings where bad news has to be delivered. I got that same feeling I get when I’m in those meetings by watching this movie. Hair raised on my arms just waiting for someone’s voice to get raised and an ego to get checked. Some of the best acting so far of the century in this scene right here.
Demi Moore is so accurate it is frightening. I have never cared for her acting but she is spot on here.
perfect, right down to where he says your speaking with me mr sullivan, and his eyes look right to see what jared is up to ...
This movie did a masterful job of giving us exposition without making it sound like exposition.
Like explaining it to a small child or a golden retriever AKA the internet in general.
@@Dios67 That's more like E. Coli or a slime mold...
"It wasnt brains that got me here i can assure of that."
Spoken like a true Scar.
He got the lions share of them, that's for sure
He's being modest when he says that, if he was stupid he would never sit there, but he doesn't deal with complex equations everyday as the analyst does. Instead, he goes meeting to meeting and makes deal becomes friend with other CEO's of financial companies over drinks ecc, and if they get along his entire company will trade billions with them. He got in that position because he probably went to a top university and then got very good at networking showing people that he is valuable because of his charisma, ability to take risks, ability to make influential contacts mostly, so when a position in a top financial firm became available they considered him because he was part of network of those top people already and had a degree in finance from a top university. They didn't give him an entry test or required him to do maths ecc....
Irons is so unbelievable good here. The way he processes everything and cuts through all the nonsense from 3:40-3:46. The slight pause as he goes from looking at Moore and Baker to Quinto is great. He instantly processes that the reason this stuff becomes a disaster is that people are afraid of speaking up so not to ruffle feathers. He immediately reassures Quinto, but then fires off a withering glance back at Moore and Baker. Amazing
One of the strongest phrases is also the "This is it!" - like everyone in the room knew that their business was built on shaky ground, and everyone just hoped to never see the day where everything blows up.
Definitely some analogies there to the current QE measures / liquidity pumping globally...
Oh yes Moore's fate was decided by that glance.
@@mp4373 Yeah. I think what's so cool about this is, you have all these amazing actors playing these increasingly important roles, and then they just hit you with Irons as the man in charge in the story, and then he puts on a freaking masterclass in the span of six seconds.
Masterful scene, I think of it often and play it for others. The cast shines.
“What if I made you?” That is probably the most respectful response you can get from a CEO
@D J.F. its a commonly used term in the mafia for those who become part of the family. IE. "If I made you, how would you do this." in this case he just offered him a partnership position. check out this guy and his videos on this.. re: your question check out ruclips.net/video/MPjWRu5heGs/видео.html and look at the bottom of the list.. ofc there higher positions in a bank but you get the jist hopefully.
D J.F. What if you were CEO? What decision would you make?
Some of the senior people in the meeting will lose their jobs. Sam Riley has stated a rational position and John Tuld is being calm and civil, respecting Sam's point of view. But he also making extremely clear that he expects Sam to execute the plan and save the firm from insolvent liquidation. Sam will keep his job because he is good at what he does, including being able to instantly propose a strategy for persuading market traders to sell their own jobs away. Jared Cohen (Simon Baker) will keep his job because he grasped the nettle and stated the only possible way the firm can escape from the trap it has made for itself - and because he was first. Demi Moore as Sarah Robertson will lose her job because she is head of Risk Management and it took a glorified college boy to demonstrate mathematically that the firm has its cock and balls in a vice and is waiting for someone else to crank the handle. Her job was to predict and prevent exactly the situation John Tuld is now fire-fighting against.
@@Wobdifurousness hmm.
Basically, I don't care about your opinion. Just tell me how you would do it if you had to.
this scene is just ... a masterclass.
Kevin Spacey and Jeremy Irons perfected their roles as the leaders of the investment bank, showing much-needed concerns to the pressing issuses and varying levels of support to subordinates. Leaders can be cold and indifferent but they showed good leadership to save the bank from being dragged down by the subprime mortgage crises.
Irons is next level in this limited performance.
This movie and the big short, different way to go about it , but I love them both
It wasnt his brains that got him to where he is. It was his ruthlessness.
The business's in which he operates is itself ruthless
The more older the business is the more ruthless people you find
Its the jungle, survival of the fittest
Jeremy Irons has a great eye for detail.
Zachary Quinto is the perfect example of someone who lives by the saying, "Strive to be the smartest person in the room, then - when you are, find a new room."
This is real CEO philosophy right here.
The way he said "so that we may SURVIVE". What a great actor. What a performance.
“You’re speaking with me”, nice yet authoritative!
Extremely Powerful acting. Then Jeremy Irons enters in the middle of the movie and completely takes it over.
Agreed, great acting, he should have received an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor.
... can somebody tell me what's going on heeerrrre
His swipe of frustration at 4:05. Subtle, but powerful.
"just relax, stand up..."
I mean for an introvert that would be the worst lol
Yep, pretty much.
Yep. There would be nervousness in my voice.
When you have vetted the data multiple times, you can speak with conviction. The delivery will be shaky but the information will be clear.
mannavaht An introvert wouldn’t make it to Investment Banking.
@@Sumitaser how so ?
I worked in the banking industry focused on international financial markets for 15 years before. These great actors are simply phenomenal in simulating the wisdom, knowledge, tension, and decisiveness in such corporate meetings under pressure. Bravo！
Jeremy Irons doing his ol' leaving the audience in awe thing.
This scene is note perfect. I've been in numerous meetings, exactly like that. All of the actors in this scene absolutely nail it.
Is that Paul Bettany and Kevin Spacey just sitting there?
The scene that nailed it for me is when Stanley Tucci (Eric Dale) is asked to accompany the woman to a meeting. And he replies that he is in the middle of something important, the young lady says please follow me. That is almost word for word what happened to me when I was in the middle of project at a bank and I was asked to follow a lady into a conference room where I was fired. Also, they took my cell phone, parking pass, building pass and said that they would gather the contents of my desk and ship them to me. Now, 10 years later, I remember it as if it happened yesterday. My biggest regret was not taking a memo that was printed out on the copy machine by the President from our legal department that basically said in the event that the bank failed and was ceased by the Feds, ALL Executives would be personally liable for any and all losses the Fed took over. Two weeks after I was fired, the President resigned to take another position with a Seattle investment firm. And two months after that the CEO resigned to work at a Venture firm. A week after he left, the Feds ceased the parent bank which ultimately wound up failing. My advice to EVERYONE reading this who is in any position is to DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. Also, check the laws in your state regarding recording conversations without the other person's knowledge because believe me when it comes right down to it, management is always going to side with the Executive over the subordinate.
Yup, and sometimes there are less people in the business at the end of the meeting than at the start. Jeez, the preparation that went in and the pressure. Then the doctor told me I was stressed, and I couldn't believe it.
"IF I MADE YOU, How would you do this?" The most badass question in whole scene. Jeremy Irons is killing it!
This scene never gets old. I have watched multiple times. Love the angle from the model perspective.
The gravitas of Jeremy Irons fits this role like a tailored suit. Guess if he wasn't an actor, he'd be a CEO.
Sometimes, there isn't that much difference
Love the mixed metaphor, “That’s spilt milk under the bridge.”
My ear heard something like that in the clip...ty for clarifying...2 metaphor with one stone
Not everyone can pull THAT off!
Whats that got to do with the price of fish?
every time this link shows up in my suggestions on the right, i have to watch it. I don't know why this scene is so magnetic.
ghjlkhl Me too 😀
Magnificent scene. Upon the 100th viewing, I notice that Carmelo magically appears at the very end!
Also, at the beginning, the way the executive assistant enters the room foretells of coming doom.
"Speak as you might to a young child, or a golden retriever." I love this
He always maintains piercing eyecontact, except when he says he "does not cheat" :D
Good spot
WTF? I was watching this movie in its entirety the other day, and now I’m back on RUclips watching clips from it.
Oh, Big Brother. You so crazy.
I always watch this movie at night to feel the mood those people felt, like meetings at 10 pm and 2 am and 4 am god damn
“What have I told you since the first day you stepped into my office?”
“BE PREPAAAAAAAARED!”