Kevin Spacey’s character never even tries to hide his disdain for Simon Baker’s. The tension between them is super palpable all through their scenes, whether they speak or not. Incredible acting.
0:53 and then that long silence and stare, as in “if it was up to me, your actual line manager, you’d be gone right now”. Ruthless character among ruthless characters.
Not really ruthless, but honest. Jared can see in Sam’s eyes that he is disgusted with what the firm’s doing, and the way he talked back to Tuld in the senior exec meeting should’ve been enough to get him fired. Yet somehow he’s not and Jared lets him know that.
This movie made me appreciate Irons, incredible actor. Articulate, brilliant maneurisms even. I like how his character saysbhe isnt there because of his brains but just casually recites all the market crashes for last 300 years haha
He conveys more with a single glance and a sentence nuance than most actors in a lifetime. They could ony write the part so far, he injects it with the countless dimensions of a person whose true character is eternally beyond your reach.
This movie is a masterclass in acting. It goes under the radar but it is perfect and has so many great actors at the top of their game. This could be Tucci's, Iron's, Moore's and even Spacey's best performance. Yes, I said it.
@@elenaweintraub6310 The role called for a hard, cold, but perceptive bitch, because no woman would have risen that high in finance otherwise. There are of course three dozen actresses in Hollywood between the ages of 35 and 70 who would have nailed that one note, but hiring the one actress in the business whose range simply does not allow her to play anything else sold it perfectly. Because we know Demi Moore always plays the ice queen, her character's truth was telegraphed the moment we saw her face. She was an absolute no-brainer piece of casting.
This movie is seriously underappreciated. It doesn't fall to too many of the corny "wall street trading" stereotypes/cliches, and includes actors at the top of their game giving some of their best performances.
The Plain Bagel said it best: this movie perfectly captures the cutthroat, amoral, ruthless side of Wall Street without turning its characters into caricatures. A lot of other films about immoral behavior in that space like Wall Street, The Wolf of Wall Street, and The Big Short often exaggerate their antagonists to the point of them becoming cartoon villains.
@@Christopher_TGIronically the protagonist of the wolf of Wall Street isn't seen as a villain by millions, which is why I don't think about that movie as one that's about Wall Street at all, moreso about greed, charisma and how much people fear and hate being in the lower classes.
Not anymore; when I first was recommended by a broker from Lehman Brothers very few people knew of it and then eventually it blew up later going on Netflix. I first learnt about it in 2017
“It’s just money... it’s made-up. Pieces of paper with pictures on it, so we don’t have to kill each other just to get something to eat.” - I think about that after a bad market day, and sometimes after a good one. But usually after a bad one.
money was a weird invention. it started out as iou so that people could keep tabs on everything that everybody in a collective needed to live. then people started trading the iou so they became money. greedy conquerers started dispossing collectives of their land and people had to work for someone else for money. nowadays not having enough money can be used to keep people from getting what they need to live. while others have so much that they can't even spend it all in a lifetime. money was suppose to be help us keep track of everything that our collective needed but its dividing and killing us. im very high i hope that makes sense haha
@@MuNameSent Ever since I heard that line it’s been one of my favorites. I repeat it often (in quotes, with attribution). I manage all our brokerage accounts and on a day when I’m down big, I assure you, I think about it.
@@sch4891 money are just traded iou in time resorces labour what ever you want to call it the reason why the percentage are always the same is beacuse there a small group of people who extreamly talanted by hook or by crook in gathering and trading those iou/money in there favors and vice versa for poor people and the majority of us are just getting by day to day.
@@patthonsirilim5739 I agree, but the same technology that allows you to watch a YT video or post a comment here, allows almost anyone to learn about money and accumulating it. I’m 64 and I assure you that until 15-20 years ago, this wasn’t possible. Anyone can open an account at Fidelity, with no minimum deposit, and buy fractional shares of any security, commission free. But most people just want to buy stuff, eat & drink, drink & smoke, watch things - basically, be entertained. That’s the problem - not the lack of knowledge or opportunity.
When Tuld said "...starving dogs" Sam's slight change in his expression suggests that he thought of his dying dog. Truly subtle but masterfully exexcuted detail.
One of the best films I have seen. I can understand why Tuld has no qualms for unleashing financial armageddon. As far as he is concerned this is just part of the economic cycle due to human nature. Tuld had two options either to profit from it or go down with it
Tuld knew what he was doing was wrong this whole damn time. A man like Tuld isn’t a businessman at this point but more or less like a cold hearted Mafia boss who knows how to be 10 steps ahead of everyone. He knew that the MBS would fail ever since he started investing into it and he knew one day he’d have to sell the lot to unsuspecting buyers. Unfortunately this happened in real life as well
@@tuwheratiaihaka2744 You are absolutely right but sharks like Tuld exists because of greed. Most financial bubbles was always due to greed and people like Tuld have no qualms taking advantage of this greed.
@@zackthebongripper7274 It's semi-artificial. People like to blame banks and such, buts it's people's greed and pursuit of high returns that cause this. People push the risk factors for higher returns until a bubble pops. Look at crypto, you won't meet a single youngin who doesn't want to get rich quick by buying some. Just because they don't wear a suit, doesn't mean they aren't the same breed. Cycles are inevitable, good traders just ride the waves and bad traders drown under them.
The acting is phenomenal. The way Sam threw that pen, angrily open the door and step aside to let HR go through. All this details dragged you into the character’s body and feel how he tried so hard to control his anger.
Or maybe they're awake and actually understand the state of existence on this blue planet. It makes you think. Maybe these notions of society give us a false sense of what this "life" actually is. In nature, it's eat or be eaten.
@@crescentprincekronos2518 exactly, but sometimes you have to pay for the knowledge, that price being your soul. The more you understand the darker it gets, atleast in my opinion.
@@samlio325 you're right. To loosely quote infinity war, "some people are cursed with knowledge" but that's a price I'm willing to pay because I asked God to help me understand and find the knowledge I was missing. I don't regret it, at least not yet 😂
The musical quality and changing pitch of Irons' delivery in his final speech is superb. Where Bettany's justifications are still taking shape, and are rough around the edges, Irons' are smoothed by long years of experience into a hypnotic narrative - one which he has long used to convince himself.
Yeah that's what makes this scene so seductive and terrifying at the same time. Everything Tuld says is true, on the surface, and it makes his ruthlessness and morally abhorrent behaviour seem almost virtuous. Every time this clip comes up in my feed, I watch it again, and usually twice or three times.
In his defense he is stating his principles/ethics and is living by them 100%. He's not a hypocrite in any way. He's defintely not a good person, and he's psychopathic at best, but he's not delusional/not deluding himself in any way.
I LOVE, love, love how they added in that part where Irons says , "1987---Jesus! Didn't that fuck---that fucked ME up good!" It's a subtle, nice touch that adds realism to the whole monologue and tells you a lot about him without actually saying it: That he was probably one of THOSE guys in the 80s and 90s, like Ivan Boesky or George Soros or Carl Icahn or Merriwether, a Gekko like character in the thick of Reagan-era, hyper capitalist, Wall Street gold rush. Love it.
In the financial word you operate on months not years. That’s why when you go to get a loan, your loan terms are defined in months rather than years. Or anything your paying off for that matter. 24, 36, 48, 60, 72 months.
@@ez9143 It's an oversimplification to say that in the financial world you operate in months. It's "operate in months with respect to X", for things like you pointed out, e.g., loans, securities, etc. He isn't talking about those things. He's talking about how long spacey stays with the firm. "24 months" is, how would you say, overly precise, for the subject matter? He's not talking about a loan. he's talking about his head trader sticking around for a certain length of time to, i don't know, project stability in what will be an unstable situation.
@@Chris.4345 holy shieeet mate. It was a simplified response to a simple point lol. Did you wanted me to write an analysis for him?! But I will explain this: to a regular person it may seem like he is trying to be overly precise. But for ppl in finance their work terminology revolves around months, because money moves faster and faster the more precise your numbers need to be. For example a regular person deals in a fiscal year tax cycle. Large businesses deal in a quarterly tax cycle. This sets the difference in time perception for a regular person vs someone who manages business accounting. So the movie let’s you know that they operate on a different time frame that a regular person does by throwing in this specific detail. So they have to be more precise and conscientious of time assessment. Overall the movie sets the mentality of how much more precious time is in the financial world by the urgency of their meetings and minute to minute assessments and reassessment of their situation. A lot of ppl miss the detail that the movie only expands one night. So there. That’s my intro to my 5 stage report on why he said 24 months rather than 2 years.
@@Chris.4345 right. But it’s also clearly calculated in that way. He’s seeing the big picture and including Sam in his narrative of how the next 24 months will work.
Jeremy's Irons composure is mesmerising, feels so natural..... Virtually normal behavior amongst the chaos that surrounds those two characters. Kevin Spacey on the other hand superbly plays a burnout man with a conscience, feelings that are real, bordering sadness, regrets, remorse only to be swallowed again by the system. Greed was your friend all the while, greed will never leave you alone, never lets you down. It is everywhere.
And then he goes to bury his dog in the front yard of his rich ex-wife’s enormous house that he paid for. And it’s obvious she never worked a day in her life. Then the movie fades to black, with nothing but the sound of him (continuing) to dig ditches.
@thebit6071 because of the size of her house - if she was successful and worked hard to be successful she most likely wouldn’t waste her money living extravagantly (large house)
"I'll do it. Not because of your little speech but because I need the money." Even though he wasn't personally persuaded by the speech, he behaved according to its premise.
Tuld can be breezily philosophical on how "meaningless" money is once he's 1) no longer at risk of losing any of his own billions and 2) fired 99% of the trading team that saved his ass ON THE VERY SAME DAY THEY SAVED HIS ASS. His hypocrisy is perfect, and is what most of Wall Street aspires to.
He's not hypocritical in any way. He tells it like it is. It's a jungle out there and he has bigger teeth. Money is just a way for people to follow their prime instincts on a bigger scale. Fairness is an illusion.
@@vasvas8914 : you need to reread my comment slowly, looking up any words you don't understand. HYPOCRISY is a key component (but not the sole component) of this financial world where there is no fairness, where Tuld thrives. The single largest example of his hypocrisy: he was shitting bricks and sweating blood earlier in the morning, because when HIS company was sitting on billions of dollars worth of bad product, the meaning of money was practically equal to life and death; but several hours later, when HIS company has safely offloaded their entire bad position onto the suckers who collectively bought it, he can wax philosophic about how none of this is real, money isn't real, that there have always been big winners & big losers on Wall Street, and that there always will be. Breezy bastard when his own money is safe.
If you watch the danny devito movie other people's money, he has a line where he says "I love money more than the things it buys" that's the problem with people like this. They don't even need anything, they just want more
@@vasvas8914 if that were actually true no one would ever have kids. All they do is drain your money and give nothing back materially. If you take that mentality to its natural conclusion our species would go extinct
I think he meant its just “money” that is only scaled smaller or larger- it doesnt matter if it shrinks just as long youre still on top of the food chain and that was the positioned he secured
what the eating illustrates, is that he is not losing his appetite, for food, for money, for the sector, while the other person is depressed and has enough of it (hence the non eating)
he is well within my top 5 of actors, i am more annoyed with his scandals mostly because we may not get to see him act again or more regularly. Why can't the people at the top of their craft not do fucked up shit?
He's so good you have to wonder if you'd HAVE to be a bit fucked up in order to achieve it. I'm not saying any of the shit he did is justified. But he's in the pantheon of truly "great" actors.
John Tuld was the perfect characterization of an investment bank CEO. Decisive, smart, logical, and realistic. Everything he says may sound cynical to a layman, but is absolutely right.
Tuld is the characterization of the problem with capitalism and why it’s purely exploitation. He’s not smart, logical,he’s just a wealthy dude who will protect his wealth at all costs, no matter who it impacts. Simple, billionaires aren’t smarter than anyone, just powerful and can get away with being unethical because $ is everything in this society.
5:34 "Do you want coffee or tea?" the fact that this guy is shown to be a big ruthless underboss throughout the film, and then having HIM offer coffee or tea like that to the previously unknown analyst guy just shows how far he has come and how much respect this guy has earned from the big bosses, almost like he's now been accepted as one of them.
Most of the comments seem to misunderstand the purpose of this scene. A lot of people hear this and are convinced that the CEO's argument is the truth when it is really there to serve as further characterization of him and the attitudes of those like him. Jeremy Irons' character exists to answer the question most people had about the bankers who caused the 2008 financial crisis: "How could someone justify doing something so destructively greedy? What kind of person would do this?" The monologue in this scene has elements of truth, but if you look closely the film is subtly undermining the CEO'S rationalizations. The first visual clue is the setting: the New York City skyline appears distant and a little hazy in the background of their conversation. They seem to be having this conversation literally in the clouds - on top of the world. It's a visual representation of the fact that they are totally disconnected from the impact their decisions will have on other people and the suffering they just unleashed. It's also no accident that the CEO is eating. He's consuming some kind of meat -- almost predatorial -- in this fairly decadent dining room. He's cavalierly stuffing his face which illustrates how essentially remorseless he is after what they've done. The eating shows he still has the "stomach" for the awful work they do while Sam no longer does. It can also be read as a metaphor for this bourgeois class callously consuming the lives and livelihoods of those represented by the city behind them. The film is telling us that he is in charge and that he is also a kind of charismatic but unfeeling parasite feeding on us. Even the CEO sees himself as someone without any agency, just another cog in the capitalist meat grinder. It's a very self serving position for Tuld to assume the immutability of a system which he gets to be at the top of.
Exactly, it's the epitome of privilege. It's easy to say that it's "just" money, a "made-up" thing that isn't right or wrong, when your livelihood isn't at stake. Even if the firm HAD crashed, Tuld would have various pathways to ensure his own safety and solvency. CEOs escape the demise of companies all the time. It would've been embarrassing and he would've had to consider either retirement or starting a new company, but he wouldn't be faced with wandering the streets with an empty stomach, utterly destitute. The people who will suffer (and DID suffer during the recession) had their livelihoods fundamentally reduced and in many cases destroyed. The moral of this movie is that there were no heroes. Some were guiltier than others, but you can see self-interest and calculation in the eyes of most characters. The realest thing Tuld says in this speech is when he calls Sam out for hypocrisy, getting all indignant at something he'd already been doing for over three decades (albeit to a lesser extent).
Okay, there is no exaggeration when I say this is the best breakdown-explainer of a character and their motivations I’ve ever seen. So concise and easy to follow an idiot like me can grasp it in no time.
very true, the framing of this scene and the acting is so good. Starts with someone dealing with their feeling of guilt in Sam and ending up being reminded they're just as meaningless to the larger machine as anyone...rather look after yourself. "not because of you're little speech but because I need the money...hard to believe after all these years, but I need the money" fat cats and starving dogs eh...depressing, but such a good scene!
Charlton Heston once said that the stage is an actor's medium that the director watches and that film is a director's medium that the actor watches. You HR have given us a director's vision of the scene. How and why it was framed and the story that the director is trying to tell with these visuals he has created. Well done.
The Imagery here is that Jeremy Irons CEO character had the stomach for what they just did, never stops devouring his meal the whole time, will go home and sit on his tens of millions and not give a shit. While the Spacey character looks like he would vomit if he even tries to take a bite of food at that moment, clearly he didn't have the stomach for what they just did anymore. He reveals at the end of this scene that he won't go home and sit on his millions because he has blown everything he has earned over 40 years and will continue to work at the firm because he needs the money.
If you watch the movie, you see what appears to be his ex-wife in a very lavish house... think that had something to do with where the money went. Maybe Spacey's character has some personal life regrets about his dedication to the firm and how that might have blew up his personal life. Could have been semi-recent split.
Irons performance masterly in this, others close behind. Almost all aspects of the film, ensamble acting, script, direction etc are of the highest quality. Completely overlooked and underrated at the time. An outstanding film deserving of far higher critical acclaim and official recognition.
1:39 and 6:13 This scene begins and ends as if it is on a loop. Which I think is the whole point of it. When Sam leaves, Peter is ready to enter the world of finance just as Sam did many years ago, possibly young and eager to prove himself. The sad reality, is that the same things that has happened while Sam has been at work for 40 years cooking the books will happen all over again. It's inevitable. It's the nature of the economic cycles. It's in the nature of us humans. The dog eat dog mentality. In a way, history will repeat itself and Peter will learn this. Eventually. The scene shows us that no matter what we want to believe in, we're part of the economic loop. It's inescapable. There'll be winners (John) and there'll be losers (Sam/Peter). Even if you win - Sam survived and Peter got promoted - you will end up losing in the end. It's a curse dressed up as a blessing. You will lose your humanity and you will make others lose their home, their business or their savings, and some ultimately their own life in despair. The top dog will continue feast and eat the rest (John still eating) while the rest go home to bury their dog (Sam/Peter). This movie is an absolute masterpiece!!!
The line that always stood out to me was “there’s gonna be a lot of money to be made coming out of this mess.” They don’t care about the people who got screwed over. They care about money and making more of it. As if we didn’t know that.
If we remember Will’s speech to Seth in the car, these people want to have the life they have. And they just want to feel like it falls out of the sky for them. Everyone wants a lotto ticket until they have to pay.
What about you? Do you care about random strangers? Because if you do, I can tell you that a small $100 donation every month to some starving Africans will ensure you save more lives than Schindler did. YOU are inherently just as evil, but have less power.
Yep when it comes down to brass tacks of living in a society. They're always gonna be ups and downs. Extinction level events. The pushing of societies with their ebb and flow
@@FirstLast-gk6lg because it proves his argument beyond doubt. Spacey's character feels somewhat personally responsible for causing this particular market turmoil but Irons shows that the entire system does exactly this several times a century since the onset of capitalism. Irons is right to tell Spacey's character to stop feeling sorry for himself and be grateful for his lot in life such as having a great very well paid job instead of a hard life of manual labour for low wages. You cannot stop it.
@@ciaranoconnell4783 He's basically telling him like "What are you sorry for, you're better off regardless and you know it, so stop acting high and mighty" It's like when someone trying to save everyone from a sinking ship but being the first one on the life raft and saying "someone should do something", like he's part of the problem and benefiting from it, so why is he complaining And the ultra rich guy is basically doing mental gymnastics by saying "If i don't do it someone else will, and at least we are rich and not poor" This is actually a sort of sociopathic way to view the world its a way of saying "sucks to be you" No empathy.
Keep him, he's getting promoted - extremely decisive and forward looking even under the intense pressure of reputational risk and realized losses, I imagine this is exactly the demeanor of someone like Jamie Dimon in the unfolding of the mortgage crisis (even though he was a relatively young CEO with less than 5 yrs on the job at the time), these are the qualities you genuinely need, there is emotion involved, it's just relative to your understanding of the world as Irons expresses here
Oh don't forget: Jamie Dimon already had an excellent early record in Amex & what would come to be known as Citi muuch earlier. Which kinda drives the point home dunnit 😅
Jeremy Iron's has come to terms with how Wall Street works and has been throughout the course of history. Be it ethical or blurring unethical. Sam, however, has trouble accepting his environment. It's why Jeremy was the CEO because it required that unemotional and callous approach to business to allow the investment bank to survive. It's a ruthless business and it's a game of survival and that is the honest truth.
Smartest thing Tuld said to Sam is that he's been doing this thing over and over for 40 years. Sam has blood on his hands too and it's hypocritical to suddenly expect to take the high road. Tuld acknowledges they emerge victorious at the expense of others, but Sam is still believing he's more ethical despite screwing people over for 40 years in the business. Tuld is actually more self-aware and respectable as a result. Both made their fortunes off others' misery, but Tuld is open about it.
The CEO's point of view is very interesting. He basically says that this is how the world's always worked. No matter what you do the crisis will happen again and again as it already happened a lot of times. If it's not him who does it it will be someone other. Nobody can change how the human nature works what the economy basically built on, and only because in this time it is them it just happened to, the world didn't become an uglier place than it was before. Nothing changed. All they can do is trying to stay alive. That's why the CEO doesn't feel like he is responsible for anything. This is a very hard question, because on the one hand he's right but on the other hand he isn't ... But this is a fact that no matter how you appreciate your things your food in your warm home for the ones who are starving and suffering the poorness when they get in the same position as you they will waste their things the same as we do.
During that speech Sam realized as much as he hated it he didn’t want to be one of the losers. And that he could have easily been and was lucky to be given the choice between winning and losing. He loved his dog so much he’d sacrifice some of his morals to be a winner so he could take care of his dog
I haven’t seen the entire movie, but it seems like a weak excuse. His dog might cost him thousands. But he’s a high ranking Wall Street executive, who’s been paid millions of dollars over decades. Does he really need more?
@@lukecadigan3937 that’s the only explanation the movie offered so I went with it. But I agree. Making that much for decades and you need it? He works in banking but is horrible with personal finance and I have no sympathy. If you make millions but are still broke you’re an idiot. In the end he’s no better than his coworkers he likes to criticize. He sees the damage but is to much of a coward to make a sacrifice for his values.
the fact that he's eating brings a whole level of natural to everything he's saying. The things he says are business oriented decisions but they're now brought in a field of natural, it feels like they're an obvious course of action. There's no wrong or right it's just what you do to survive. Cynicism, pragmatism conveyed so seamlessly. It would be hard for anyone to argue with anything he said because it would feel like you spoil a perfectly serene balance
I missed this line a few times until now - "There's gonna be a lot of money to be made coming out of this mess." I mean...just wow. So they knowingly, willingly created a housing disaster over a long period of time, firesaled all their MBSs and essentially bankrupted other buyers/corporations by selling MBSs that were essentially worthless or about to be, then they pounce on the aftermath to figure out how to make even more. Just unbelievable greed.
I don’t think it’s greed. They didn’t cause it, they were just playing with fire that everyone else was. They were just the first to get out. Real cause was government forcing out bad mortgages, but Wallstreet went with it bc it made a lot of money and no one thought it was as dangerous as it was
@@robertwright4906 It absolutely was greed, along with malfeasance and knowing ignorance. No one forced firms to package with bad loans with good ones, and no one forced firms to make bets on those poisoned pills. Wall Street made a lot of money in the short term, so they didn't want to think about how dangerous that was in the long term. They don't care about what happens to the next guy, or even the guy next to them.
@@robertwright4906yea the big bad govt forcing those poor helpless banks to sell dogshit for ridiculous profits. The pursuit of money and profit absolutely caused this mess
1637: Tulip mania Bubble 1797: Panic of 1796-1797 1819: Panic of 1819 1837: Panic of 1837 1857: Panic of 1857 1884: Panic of 1884 1901: Panic of 1901 1907: Panic of 1907 1929: Wall Street Crash of 1929 1937: Recession of 1937-1938 1974: 1973-1974 stock market crash 1987: Black Monday 1992: Black Wednesday 1997: 1997 Asian financial crisis + October 27, 1997, mini-crash 2000: Dot-com bubble I was just curious 😆
Thank you for this. I was watching a 3 hour documentary about central banking when half in I realized I had heard all the dates before. All these dates have something in common. Particularly the people behind the crashes.
Thank you for this. I was watching a 3 hour documentary about central banking when half in I realized I had heard all the dates before. All these dates have something in common. Particularly the people behind the crashes.
The ending shot of Tuld eating alone while Jared and Peter converse in the background makes this scene. It really emphasizes the expression, 'its lonely at the top'. Tuld's achieved everything, and yet there he is, trying to convince people to stay while people under him are gone.
I get the impression he likes it that way though, after all this time. It shows you why he "makes the big bucks", why he is "sitting in this chair" as he puts it. Once he has assessed the situation, come up with and implemented a plan, he has already moved on to the next thing - strategizing the next move quicker than anyone else. No second guesses or dwelling on the past. It's a very effective character portrayal of how his character does what he does, and enjoys it.
I think Jared is probably warming Peter up too. Getting him ready for a chat with Tuld (someone he’s probably only ever seen a few times in the previous year) but who is about to compliment the kids work, sell him on their mission to make more money coming out of this, discuss the importance of keeping exactly how he uncovered the projection a secret, and give him a freaking promotion. All these scenes are filled with so much detail it’s amazing.
Reminds me of the final shot of The Big Short, where Carrell/Eisman is all alone at the top of his building too when he cashes out on the short of the same crisis.
Yeah the scene shows just how ruthless Tuld is. Sam is sick to his stomach about the day, hundreds of people at the company lost their jobs and the global economy will be ruined while Tuld is happily eating. He's seen it all before and like a psychopath it doesn't affect him at all
The problem I have with this movie in general is that after spending 10 years in this environment I can assure you that none of those top execs in big banks are as intelligent and witty as this movie pictures. 80% of them are tools and have no idea what they are doing outside of procedures and workflows given to them.
Never worked in investment banking but worked in high up places in government. I feel the same way about it. They are cynical in a similar way where they make lazy justifications for why they are in charge but with none of the wit and charisma seen here. Also I think if someone discovered something like this they would probably just ignore it rather than confront it.
This an example how you can make a great movie without cgi, explosions, bare butts, car crashes and believe or not - without a single shot from a gun. This picture is a gem.
Tulde was pretty on point with his speech except when he says “It’s *just* money.” That’s the kind of thing rich people say because they forget that in this country money basically controls your entire life.
He's also, 100%, empirically wrong about how the percentages stay the same. Gini coefficients vary over time, and from place to place. And, zoomed out further, if what he said was true, stealing from people would be morally neutral lol. Fuck it, call up 1000 pensioners, defraud them out of their life savings, and buy a yacht with it; there's always going to be the same number of winners and losers, so nothing you can do is actually making the world worse! Except what he did was on a larger scale than that. It's a convenient little lie to oneself to absolve him of any guilt he feels; "nothing I do makes a difference, so I might as well do it and be stinking rich." It's comforting, but it's not actually true.
"It's just money" is perfectly on point. It means that people who make decisions with vast amounts of money already have money so being risky with it, really has no impact on them.
Lmao, it's tragic isn't it. Scriptwriter: long monologue giving a self-serving but ultimately completely nonsensical justification for the character's crimes, with clear undertones of psychopathy RUclips commenters: Wow! So true!!
@@Muzikman127 This was my exact thoughts when I scrolled down to read the comments. I guess the writer and Irons did TOO good of a job - everyone bought the character's bullshit!
1:57 The helicopter sound outside the window (which comes and goes through this whole scene) is a nice touch. Other Wall Street executives flying somewhere--just as Tuld had flown in for the 4AM meeting earlier.
I love the mentality and raw leadership of John the CEO, the idea of “there’s tons of money to be made coming out of this mess.” Even through a disastrous and highly stressful event he adapts quickly and will find a way to succeed, building a team who can help him ensure success on his mission. He knew he messed up bad and took accountability but he’s already 2 steps ahead looking for another way to build success on top of a crash to come.
Hi - I will add to your discussion of John as an effective collaborator (he speaks his mind even though unpopular, willing to talk about a difficult conversation with a different perspective ).
One of the striking things about this scene is the music. It's tense as Kevin Spacey's character heads impatiently towards the top floor, then becomes almost apathetic as we see Jeremy Irons character cheerfully eating his wine accompanied lunch, as dozens of people lose their jobs on the floor below. Brilliant.
"It's not a question of enough pal,. It's a zero sum game, somebody wins, somebody loses. Money itself is not lost or made - it is simply transferred from one perception to another" Gordon Gekko
the sheer disgust on spacey's face when irons says "there's gonna be a lot of money to be made coming out of this mess," just perfect. the shit never ends. once the line is done going down, it must go back up again. what a cruel machine we live in
Notice how Jeremy Irons rubs his nose. Hints to a bit of cocaine usage on the past. Fits his character. It’s a very nice piece of subtlety revealing a bit more about his character
I lived through this with a job mortgage kids. Because of that I say it is better to be like the character irons is playing. In control. Making moves first and being ahead of the pack while the rest are trying to figure out what is happening.
"He's getting promoted. It's all hands on deck now, Sam. There's going to be a lot of money to be made coming out of this mess.." Already planning the next grift. Absolutely amazing scene.
I wouldn't be surprised if he got Demi Moores old job since she got fired. He was able to figure the solution out immediately and acted on it while she did nothing for over a year
It's kinda ironic that he calls it "just a piece of paper", just so we won't kill each other for something we want. When he essentially "killled" or put out people out of business just so their company survives.
the double quotes you had to use prove his point. they ARE his point. that's what he's saying - the "defeated enemies" are put out of business... as opposed to physically raped, mutilated, slaughtered.
The way he held a cheque in the bathroom scene and Sam came up to look at it. He knew Sam won’t be able to resist it. and he said it in this scene ‘I need the money’. Great film.
Good is relative here, but I agree it was a smart move by Tuld (Jeremy Irons). Sullivan's (Zachary Quinto) contribution to discovering the problem, keeping quiet about it to others, working through after-hours, complying competently to Tuld's demands during the business meeting, and not outwardly showing emotional qualms about it all makes him a very valuable asset to Tuld. He was more valuable to the company in a higher position.
@@Jukeboxster Yep, that's why I said Sullivan contributed to discovering the problem. Eric Dale was missing necessary pieces that Sullivan helped fill in. Makes you wonder though, if Eric Dale had been working on it for months (maybe even a full year, as we know that's when the red flags first started to show up), how Sullivan could have finished it within a few hours. But perhaps Sullivan was just smarter than Eric, or his work was just _that_ close to finishing but he got fired before he could put in the final pieces.
"this matter needs to be dealt with urgently. So urgently in fact probably should've been addressed weeks ago. But that is spilt milk under the bridge". A good CEO would have addressed it weeks ago.
Love it how there's always a connection between money, wealth, and hunger. Wall Street is full of scenes depicting opulent eating, and whenever I watch Gordon Gekko delivering one of his monologues I get hungry for some reason.
He's right, the percentages don't change. You are always deciding if you can be on the side that's going to get ahead in this cycle while not getting into the camp that falls back so much that they can't stay in the game. Short cycles are 4 to 8 years, mid cycles are those that can be 12 to 50 years, and the long game is something you only see once in a life time. These cycles trend based on what people decided to do years or decades before you realize it and altering the trends are nearly impossible to even budge either way.
1:25 I just noticed that the two HR ladies who fired Eric Dale were themselves fired in this scene, leaving the building with their belongings. Amazing attention to detail
How the hell Jeremy Irons DID NOT pick up Oscar nom for this? Even now cancelled Kevin Spacey played an unusual role for him, where he is not the alfa... but Jeremy is astonishing.
Money is fake, unfortunately its the most common and acceptable form of bartering in this world we live in. I personally try and own as little money as possible "once my bills and shopping are paid". I put a little in a bank. The rest i convert to gold coins And i buy stocks and shares with the rest.
@@abdulrahman31350Stocks and shares are as fake as money. You are owning a share of a company, and what it is worth is based mostly only on what people think it’s worth.
I can't help thinking at the end there, as John picks up his pen to write on that pad, that there's checklist like: Make Sarah Scapegoat - Done Persuade Sam to stay on for two years - Done Promote the kid - Go play golf -
I feel Irons portrayed a kind of "cold courtesy" very well, it's only when his character berates Spacey's for "feeling sorry for himself" that he starts talking on a more personal level. The change is subtle, and it's mixed with the same cold courtesy he was displaying before, but you can tell he was more "there" when he starts talking about money and the years of notable recession. This is actually a bit scary considering what he and his company just pulled, but for Tuld...it was Friday.
I like the subtle touch of the sound of helicopters coming and going on the roof of the building. Like the executives are fleeing to their house in the Hamptons after a rough day at work.
When deception is built into the game, you get something that strongly resembles global finance. It's all played like a game, and it helps if you don't give a shit about people.
@@binisman6064 The leaders are doing it to break down American culture and independence. The followers actually believe the ideology, which is a tool of the leaders. Always the way. Snowball/Boxer Napoleon/Pigs
@@KamalaTheClown Biden is a puppet Just like every previous president. Including DJT. The last president who tried changing things, Had his brains blown out in Dallas. That is what happens When you buck the system!! You do not retire to your mansion in Florida and appear on Television programming. You have your brains blown out In broad daylight For everyone to witness.
@@johntrueconservative2547 and it scared all the should be leaders into not going against them. That's why is hasn't happened since. 1960s era was the ending. They don't have to do it again because they have already won.
0:32 "Now?" "Yes, Sam. No loose ends." In a different movie genre, this is when the bad guy executes his own footsoldiers to keep them quiet. Right after the job.
It's crazy how he knew the years of collapses off the top of his head, and the way Sam reacts. Unreal. Also great acting and power dynamic by Sam. He gets up, not giving an answer, and the boss looks up with a tinge of anxiety. Then Sam says yes and he at least gets to feel like he "won" the conversation
That's the irony of money. $40,000 to a rich person is just paper, it's made up. But to a poor person, it's working 80 hours per week in a manual labor job, in sh*t up to your elbows. A rich person with $300,000 in a simple bank CD makes the same income with fewer taxes as a person working min wage full time. To a rich person, inflation means your stock portfolio has stalled. To a poor person, it means milk and eggs are 70% more expensive, your adjustable mortgage payment just doubled, your insurance and bills are skyrocketing the $5000 you have in the bank has 20% less spending power than a year ago...and your wages haven't increased.
Literally so few things work ⅕ Most things are 90-95% 5-10% split economically. No one is saying to redistribute to balance it back to "normal", either. The shit is "true" when he wants it to be, so fucken hilarious
Kevin Spacey’s character never even tries to hide his disdain for Simon Baker’s. The tension between them is super palpable all through their scenes, whether they speak or not. Incredible acting.
That is all Baker getting his revenge for "L.A. Confidential" 😂
Even in Spacey's pep speech to his sellers, there are several digs and he always looks at Simon Baker when he uses one of these words
I loved those glances@@sparekeiv
Jeremy Irons character would rightfully be burning in Hell for 1000 years after he died. Unfortunately hell (or heaven) doesn’t exist.
Baker did an excellent acting job, portraying a soulless suit with masked contempt
Jeremy Irons is a fine fine actor
It's not easy to act a scene while simultaneously eating a meal. But of course, Irons is a masterful actor and makes it look so easy.
Definitely. Was thinking the same while watching
I L I Ķ
No, Jeremy Irons is a SUPERB actor.
Reversal of Fortune, JIs best imho
0:53 and then that long silence and stare, as in “if it was up to me, your actual line manager, you’d be gone right now”. Ruthless character among ruthless characters.
Not really ruthless, but honest. Jared can see in Sam’s eyes that he is disgusted with what the firm’s doing, and the way he talked back to Tuld in the senior exec meeting should’ve been enough to get him fired. Yet somehow he’s not and Jared lets him know that.
@@thephantompenance As John have mentioned, he needs Sam for the next 24 months to ride out the market crash they've initiated.
Jeremy Irons dominates every scene. Believable and even shadowing Kevin spacey.
As he did to de niro in The Mission. He makes so-called great actors look decidedly pedestrian.
He is an unequivocally superior actor than Spacey.
This movie made me appreciate Irons, incredible actor. Articulate, brilliant maneurisms even. I like how his character saysbhe isnt there because of his brains but just casually recites all the market crashes for last 300 years haha
He conveys more with a single glance and a sentence nuance than most actors in a lifetime. They could ony write the part so far, he injects it with the countless dimensions of a person whose true character is eternally beyond your reach.
yup the voice the bod the face the presence
"and if I did there'd at least be some holes in the ground for it"
This movie has so many great lines.
This movie is a masterclass in acting. It goes under the radar but it is perfect and has so many great actors at the top of their game. This could be Tucci's, Iron's, Moore's and even Spacey's best performance. Yes, I said it.
And I'd agree with you, just as long as you add in Bettany and Quinto. ^_~
Moore as usual one note performance. Good, but one note
@@elenaweintraub6310 The role called for a hard, cold, but perceptive bitch, because no woman would have risen that high in finance otherwise. There are of course three dozen actresses in Hollywood between the ages of 35 and 70 who would have nailed that one note, but hiring the one actress in the business whose range simply does not allow her to play anything else sold it perfectly. Because we know Demi Moore always plays the ice queen, her character's truth was telegraphed the moment we saw her face. She was an absolute no-brainer piece of casting.
Baker is also fantastic in this
Tucci's best performance? He was in the movie for 5 minutes
This movie is seriously underappreciated. It doesn't fall to too many of the corny "wall street trading" stereotypes/cliches, and includes actors at the top of their game giving some of their best performances.
It's actually gaining his cult status
The Plain Bagel said it best: this movie perfectly captures the cutthroat, amoral, ruthless side of Wall Street without turning its characters into caricatures. A lot of other films about immoral behavior in that space like Wall Street, The Wolf of Wall Street, and The Big Short often exaggerate their antagonists to the point of them becoming cartoon villains.
@@Christopher_TGIronically the protagonist of the wolf of Wall Street isn't seen as a villain by millions, which is why I don't think about that movie as one that's about Wall Street at all, moreso about greed, charisma and how much people fear and hate being in the lower classes.
Not anymore; when I first was recommended by a broker from Lehman Brothers very few people knew of it and then eventually it blew up later going on Netflix. I first learnt about it in 2017
It was criminally underrated, once upon a time.
Can’t say that it is anymore.
“It’s just money... it’s made-up. Pieces of paper with pictures on it, so we don’t have to kill each other just to get something to eat.” - I think about that after a bad market day, and sometimes after a good one. But usually after a bad one.
money was a weird invention. it started out as iou so that people could keep tabs on everything that everybody in a collective needed to live. then people started trading the iou so they became money. greedy conquerers started dispossing collectives of their land and people had to work for someone else for money. nowadays not having enough money can be used to keep people from getting what they need to live. while others have so much that they can't even spend it all in a lifetime. money was suppose to be help us keep track of everything that our collective needed but its dividing and killing us.
im very high i hope that makes sense haha
@@MuNameSent Ever since I heard that line it’s been one of my favorites. I repeat it often (in quotes, with attribution). I manage all our brokerage accounts and on a day when I’m down big, I assure you, I think about it.
@@sch4891 money are just traded iou in time resorces labour what ever you want to call it the reason why the percentage are always the same is beacuse there a small group of people who extreamly talanted by hook or by crook in gathering and trading those iou/money in there favors and vice versa for poor people and the majority of us are just getting by day to day.
@@patthonsirilim5739 I agree, but the same technology that allows you to watch a YT video or post a comment here, allows almost anyone to learn about money and accumulating it. I’m 64 and I assure you that until 15-20 years ago, this wasn’t possible. Anyone can open an account at Fidelity, with no minimum deposit, and buy fractional shares of any security, commission free. But most people just want to buy stuff, eat & drink, drink & smoke, watch things - basically, be entertained. That’s the problem - not the lack of knowledge or opportunity.
@RonYo Thanks… I think. Do I know you? I’m curious as to what makes you say I’m a good man.
Just realized Jeremy irons giggles after the line about ditches. This movie is so gold.
Lmao he even utters out a sarcastic “Jesus” under his breath. Irons is incredible lol
When Tuld said "...starving dogs" Sam's slight change in his expression suggests that he thought of his dying dog. Truly subtle but masterfully exexcuted detail.
And also Tuld talks of digging ditches. Foreshadowing of what Sam does at the end of the movie following the loss of his dog.
Amazing
Good spot
One might understand the cut away, to his face, but I hadn't noticed it
god this movie is sooo good
nice find
One of the best films I have seen. I can understand why Tuld has no qualms for unleashing financial armageddon. As far as he is concerned this is just part of the economic cycle due to human nature. Tuld had two options either to profit from it or go down with it
Economic cycles are due to a breakdown of the free market. It's all artificial and criminal.
@@zackthebongripper7274 I wish it were that simple. I really do 😭😭😭
Tuld knew what he was doing was wrong this whole damn time. A man like Tuld isn’t a businessman at this point but more or less like a cold hearted Mafia boss who knows how to be 10 steps ahead of everyone. He knew that the MBS would fail ever since he started investing into it and he knew one day he’d have to sell the lot to unsuspecting buyers. Unfortunately this happened in real life as well
@@tuwheratiaihaka2744 You are absolutely right but sharks like Tuld exists because of greed. Most financial bubbles was always due to greed and people like Tuld have no qualms taking advantage of this greed.
@@zackthebongripper7274 It's semi-artificial. People like to blame banks and such, buts it's people's greed and pursuit of high returns that cause this.
People push the risk factors for higher returns until a bubble pops. Look at crypto, you won't meet a single youngin who doesn't want to get rich quick by buying some.
Just because they don't wear a suit, doesn't mean they aren't the same breed.
Cycles are inevitable, good traders just ride the waves and bad traders drown under them.
The acting is phenomenal. The way Sam threw that pen, angrily open the door and step aside to let HR go through. All this details dragged you into the character’s body and feel how he tried so hard to control his anger.
A dead soul talking to a dying one about the experience
Or maybe they're awake and actually understand the state of existence on this blue planet. It makes you think. Maybe these notions of society give us a false sense of what this "life" actually is. In nature, it's eat or be eaten.
@@crescentprincekronos2518 exactly, but sometimes you have to pay for the knowledge, that price being your soul. The more you understand the darker it gets, atleast in my opinion.
@@samlio325 you're right. To loosely quote infinity war, "some people are cursed with knowledge" but that's a price I'm willing to pay because I asked God to help me understand and find the knowledge I was missing. I don't regret it, at least not yet 😂
@@crescentprincekronos2518 well, at some point you start regretting it, or at least think about it, otherwise you are not "understanding" much...
@@ClassicalPower you're absolutely right.
The musical quality and changing pitch of Irons' delivery in his final speech is superb.
Where Bettany's justifications are still taking shape, and are rough around the edges, Irons' are smoothed by long years of experience into a hypnotic narrative - one which he has long used to convince himself.
Wonderful! I hadn't yet thought of the connection
Saving this.
Yeah that's what makes this scene so seductive and terrifying at the same time. Everything Tuld says is true, on the surface, and it makes his ruthlessness and morally abhorrent behaviour seem almost virtuous. Every time this clip comes up in my feed, I watch it again, and usually twice or three times.
In his defense he is stating his principles/ethics and is living by them 100%. He's not a hypocrite in any way. He's defintely not a good person, and he's psychopathic at best, but he's not delusional/not deluding himself in any way.
I LOVE, love, love how they added in that part where Irons says , "1987---Jesus! Didn't that fuck---that fucked ME up good!" It's a subtle, nice touch that adds realism to the whole monologue and tells you a lot about him without actually saying it: That he was probably one of THOSE guys in the 80s and 90s, like Ivan Boesky or George Soros or Carl Icahn or Merriwether, a Gekko like character in the thick of Reagan-era, hyper capitalist, Wall Street gold rush. Love it.
Much better than the communists of the 80s
What happened to soros? He still around?
I like how he said “24 months” instead of “2 years.” I think it says something about how he perceives time.
Thanks for that. Indeed
In the financial word you operate on months not years. That’s why when you go to get a loan, your loan terms are defined in months rather than years. Or anything your paying off for that matter. 24, 36, 48, 60, 72 months.
@@ez9143 It's an oversimplification to say that in the financial world you operate in months. It's "operate in months with respect to X", for things like you pointed out, e.g., loans, securities, etc. He isn't talking about those things. He's talking about how long spacey stays with the firm. "24 months" is, how would you say, overly precise, for the subject matter? He's not talking about a loan. he's talking about his head trader sticking around for a certain length of time to, i don't know, project stability in what will be an unstable situation.
@@Chris.4345 holy shieeet mate. It was a simplified response to a simple point lol. Did you wanted me to write an analysis for him?!
But I will explain this: to a regular person it may seem like he is trying to be overly precise. But for ppl in finance their work terminology revolves around months, because money moves faster and faster the more precise your numbers need to be. For example a regular person deals in a fiscal year tax cycle. Large businesses deal in a quarterly tax cycle. This sets the difference in time perception for a regular person vs someone who manages business accounting. So the movie let’s you know that they operate on a different time frame that a regular person does by throwing in this specific detail. So they have to be more precise and conscientious of time assessment. Overall the movie sets the mentality of how much more precious time is in the financial world by the urgency of their meetings and minute to minute assessments and reassessment of their situation. A lot of ppl miss the detail that the movie only expands one night. So there. That’s my intro to my 5 stage report on why he said 24 months rather than 2 years.
@@Chris.4345 right. But it’s also clearly calculated in that way. He’s seeing the big picture and including Sam in his narrative of how the next 24 months will work.
Jeremy Irons is one of the greatest actors of all time
is that jeremy with you on ur profile pic? u in love boy
Jeremy's Irons composure is mesmerising, feels so natural..... Virtually normal behavior amongst the chaos that surrounds those two characters. Kevin Spacey on the other hand superbly plays a burnout man with a conscience, feelings that are real, bordering sadness, regrets, remorse only to be swallowed again by the system. Greed was your friend all the while, greed will never leave you alone, never lets you down. It is everywhere.
I'll do it. Not because of your little speech but because I need the money is the most thoughtful, encompassing sentence about work I've ever heard
And then he goes to bury his dog in the front yard of his rich ex-wife’s enormous house that he paid for. And it’s obvious she never worked a day in her life.
Then the movie fades to black, with nothing but the sound of him (continuing) to dig ditches.
@thebit6071 because of the size of her house - if she was successful and worked hard to be successful she most likely wouldn’t waste her money living extravagantly (large house)
"I'll do it. Not because of your little speech but because I need the money."
Even though he wasn't personally persuaded by the speech, he behaved according to its premise.
Tuld can be breezily philosophical on how "meaningless" money is once he's 1) no longer at risk of losing any of his own billions and 2) fired 99% of the trading team that saved his ass ON THE VERY SAME DAY THEY SAVED HIS ASS. His hypocrisy is perfect, and is what most of Wall Street aspires to.
He's not hypocritical in any way. He tells it like it is. It's a jungle out there and he has bigger teeth. Money is just a way for people to follow their prime instincts on a bigger scale. Fairness is an illusion.
@@vasvas8914 : you need to reread my comment slowly, looking up any words you don't understand. HYPOCRISY is a key component (but not the sole component) of this financial world where there is no fairness, where Tuld thrives. The single largest example of his hypocrisy: he was shitting bricks and sweating blood earlier in the morning, because when HIS company was sitting on billions of dollars worth of bad product, the meaning of money was practically equal to life and death; but several hours later, when HIS company has safely offloaded their entire bad position onto the suckers who collectively bought it, he can wax philosophic about how none of this is real, money isn't real, that there have always been big winners & big losers on Wall Street, and that there always will be. Breezy bastard when his own money is safe.
If you watch the danny devito movie other people's money, he has a line where he says "I love money more than the things it buys" that's the problem with people like this. They don't even need anything, they just want more
@@vasvas8914 if that were actually true no one would ever have kids. All they do is drain your money and give nothing back materially. If you take that mentality to its natural conclusion our species would go extinct
I think he meant its just “money” that is only scaled smaller or larger- it doesnt matter if it shrinks just as long youre still on top of the food chain and that was the positioned he secured
I love their interactions through out the movie. Constant back and forth between boss and subordinate, and a pair of old comrades.
I love the way the old comrades comes through in the movie.
What also makes this so brilliant. Irons is talking and eating at the same time. Perfect control. Pure predator.
what the eating illustrates, is that he is not losing his appetite, for food, for money, for the sector, while the other person is depressed and has enough of it (hence the non eating)
Spacey nailed literally every dramatic role I’ve seen him in. I would really like to see him as a positive, peaceful character.
he is well within my top 5 of actors, i am more annoyed with his scandals mostly because we may not get to see him act again or more regularly. Why can't the people at the top of their craft not do fucked up shit?
American Beauty?
@@elliotjames5172 It was a dramatic role
He's so good you have to wonder if you'd HAVE to be a bit fucked up in order to achieve it.
I'm not saying any of the shit he did is justified. But he's in the pantheon of truly "great" actors.
John Tuld was the perfect characterization of an investment bank CEO. Decisive, smart, logical, and realistic.
Everything he says may sound cynical to a layman, but is absolutely right.
It was not brain that got him there.
And utterly ruthless when required.
Lol, absolutely right. Yeah, sure keep telling yourself that Rain.
Tuld is the characterization of the problem with capitalism and why it’s purely exploitation. He’s not smart, logical,he’s just a wealthy dude who will protect his wealth at all costs, no matter who it impacts. Simple, billionaires aren’t smarter than anyone, just powerful and can get away with being unethical because $ is everything in this society.
@@TheMellowMal LOL, what? Stop, you sound like a whiney child.
Every now and again, a movie comes out that tells the most brutal and inexorable truths about the world and humanity. This is one of them.
5:34 "Do you want coffee or tea?"
the fact that this guy is shown to be a big ruthless underboss throughout the film, and then having HIM offer coffee or tea like that to the previously unknown analyst guy just shows how far he has come and how much respect this guy has earned from the big bosses, almost like he's now been accepted as one of them.
Most of the comments seem to misunderstand the purpose of this scene. A lot of people hear this and are convinced that the CEO's argument is the truth when it is really there to serve as further characterization of him and the attitudes of those like him. Jeremy Irons' character exists to answer the question most people had about the bankers who caused the 2008 financial crisis: "How could someone justify doing something so destructively greedy? What kind of person would do this?" The monologue in this scene has elements of truth, but if you look closely the film is subtly undermining the CEO'S rationalizations.
The first visual clue is the setting: the New York City skyline appears distant and a little hazy in the background of their conversation. They seem to be having this conversation literally in the clouds - on top of the world. It's a visual representation of the fact that they are totally disconnected from the impact their decisions will have on other people and the suffering they just unleashed.
It's also no accident that the CEO is eating. He's consuming some kind of meat -- almost predatorial -- in this fairly decadent dining room. He's cavalierly stuffing his face which illustrates how essentially remorseless he is after what they've done. The eating shows he still has the "stomach" for the awful work they do while Sam no longer does. It can also be read as a metaphor for this bourgeois class callously consuming the lives and livelihoods of those represented by the city behind them. The film is telling us that he is in charge and that he is also a kind of charismatic but unfeeling parasite feeding on us. Even the CEO sees himself as someone without any agency, just another cog in the capitalist meat grinder. It's a very self serving position for Tuld to assume the immutability of a system which he gets to be at the top of.
100% !!!
Exactly, it's the epitome of privilege. It's easy to say that it's "just" money, a "made-up" thing that isn't right or wrong, when your livelihood isn't at stake. Even if the firm HAD crashed, Tuld would have various pathways to ensure his own safety and solvency. CEOs escape the demise of companies all the time. It would've been embarrassing and he would've had to consider either retirement or starting a new company, but he wouldn't be faced with wandering the streets with an empty stomach, utterly destitute. The people who will suffer (and DID suffer during the recession) had their livelihoods fundamentally reduced and in many cases destroyed.
The moral of this movie is that there were no heroes. Some were guiltier than others, but you can see self-interest and calculation in the eyes of most characters. The realest thing Tuld says in this speech is when he calls Sam out for hypocrisy, getting all indignant at something he'd already been doing for over three decades (albeit to a lesser extent).
Okay, there is no exaggeration when I say this is the best breakdown-explainer of a character and their motivations I’ve ever seen. So concise and easy to follow an idiot like me can grasp it in no time.
very true, the framing of this scene and the acting is so good. Starts with someone dealing with their feeling of guilt in Sam and ending up being reminded they're just as meaningless to the larger machine as anyone...rather look after yourself.
"not because of you're little speech but because I need the money...hard to believe after all these years, but I need the money"
fat cats and starving dogs eh...depressing, but such a good scene!
Charlton Heston once said that the stage is an actor's medium that the director watches and that film is a director's medium that the actor watches. You HR have given us a director's vision of the scene. How and why it was framed and the story that the director is trying to tell with these visuals he has created. Well done.
2:10 that long pause as he waits for the big boss's permission to speak is fascinating, a weird combo of respect while knowing your place.
The Imagery here is that Jeremy Irons CEO character had the stomach for what they just did, never stops devouring his meal the whole time, will go home and sit on his tens of millions and not give a shit. While the Spacey character looks like he would vomit if he even tries to take a bite of food at that moment, clearly he didn't have the stomach for what they just did anymore. He reveals at the end of this scene that he won't go home and sit on his millions because he has blown everything he has earned over 40 years and will continue to work at the firm because he needs the money.
10s of millions? Try hundreds of millions of dollars!
If you watch the movie, you see what appears to be his ex-wife in a very lavish house... think that had something to do with where the money went.
Maybe Spacey's character has some personal life regrets about his dedication to the firm and how that might have blew up his personal life. Could have been semi-recent split.
@@dzelpwr Bingo! I have some personal experience. Family gets accustomed and entitled to your labor. That is a fact of life. And they feel owed.
@@zippyzipster46 explain what you mean?
@@spodergibbs5088 at what grade level? 3rd grade or 4th grade? This isn’t rocket science.
Irons performance masterly in this, others close behind. Almost all aspects of the film, ensamble acting, script, direction etc are of the highest quality. Completely overlooked and underrated at the time. An outstanding film deserving of far higher critical acclaim and official recognition.
1:39 and 6:13
This scene begins and ends as if it is on a loop. Which I think is the whole point of it. When Sam leaves, Peter is ready to enter the world of finance just as Sam did many years ago, possibly young and eager to prove himself. The sad reality, is that the same things that has happened while Sam has been at work for 40 years cooking the books will happen all over again. It's inevitable. It's the nature of the economic cycles. It's in the nature of us humans. The dog eat dog mentality. In a way, history will repeat itself and Peter will learn this. Eventually.
The scene shows us that no matter what we want to believe in, we're part of the economic loop. It's inescapable. There'll be winners (John) and there'll be losers (Sam/Peter). Even if you win - Sam survived and Peter got promoted - you will end up losing in the end. It's a curse dressed up as a blessing. You will lose your humanity and you will make others lose their home, their business or their savings, and some ultimately their own life in despair.
The top dog will continue feast and eat the rest (John still eating) while the rest go home to bury their dog (Sam/Peter).
This movie is an absolute masterpiece!!!
Sam wants to quit. Peter is getting promoted, probably doing Sarah and Eric's job.
The line that always stood out to me was “there’s gonna be a lot of money to be made coming out of this mess.”
They don’t care about the people who got screwed over. They care about money and making more of it.
As if we didn’t know that.
If we remember Will’s speech to Seth in the car, these people want to have the life they have. And they just want to feel like it falls out of the sky for them. Everyone wants a lotto ticket until they have to pay.
Remember Will saying it best while smoking a cigarette: "They don't like to lose money, they don't care losing anyone else's, just not their own."
Correct, but they have the balls to not be complacent and stay on top.
What about you? Do you care about random strangers? Because if you do, I can tell you that a small $100 donation every month to some starving Africans will ensure you save more lives than Schindler did.
YOU are inherently just as evil, but have less power.
Gee, it's almost as if they're a bank, not a charity.
Almost like their job is turning money into more money, not reciting psalms for the poor.
I think Tuld’s speech is one of the most profound and finest in cinematic history, even if it is hard for some to take.
Yep when it comes down to brass tacks of living in a society. They're always gonna be ups and downs. Extinction level events. The pushing of societies with their ebb and flow
Yeah i love when he lists economic crisis of the past
@@FirstLast-gk6lg because it proves his argument beyond doubt. Spacey's character feels somewhat personally responsible for causing this particular market turmoil but Irons shows that the entire system does exactly this several times a century since the onset of capitalism. Irons is right to tell Spacey's character to stop feeling sorry for himself and be grateful for his lot in life such as having a great very well paid job instead of a hard life of manual labour for low wages. You cannot stop it.
@@ciaranoconnell4783 He's basically telling him like "What are you sorry for, you're better off regardless and you know it, so stop acting high and mighty"
It's like when someone trying to save everyone from a sinking ship but being the first one on the life raft and saying "someone should do something", like he's part of the problem and benefiting from it, so why is he complaining
And the ultra rich guy is basically doing mental gymnastics by saying "If i don't do it someone else will, and at least we are rich and not poor" This is actually a sort of sociopathic way to view the world its a way of saying "sucks to be you" No empathy.
@@cbot375 The whole system is bigger than any one person.
Keep him, he's getting promoted - extremely decisive and forward looking even under the intense pressure of reputational risk and realized losses, I imagine this is exactly the demeanor of someone like Jamie Dimon in the unfolding of the mortgage crisis (even though he was a relatively young CEO with less than 5 yrs on the job at the time), these are the qualities you genuinely need, there is emotion involved, it's just relative to your understanding of the world as Irons expresses here
Applauding your comment. To me, its one of the best parts of the movie
@@mark95pb exactly. Well-acted part, & I'm sure - extremely accurate.
@Janthony isn't your alimony payment late bud?
I think of the contrast between how Tuld presented himself in the emergency meeting compared to this scene. Very interesting.
Oh don't forget: Jamie Dimon already had an excellent early record in Amex & what would come to be known as Citi muuch earlier. Which kinda drives the point home dunnit 😅
Jeremy Iron's has come to terms with how Wall Street works and has been throughout the course of history. Be it ethical or blurring unethical. Sam, however, has trouble accepting his environment. It's why Jeremy was the CEO because it required that unemotional and callous approach to business to allow the investment bank to survive. It's a ruthless business and it's a game of survival and that is the honest truth.
imagine being worth anything less than $1.3 million and voting republican 😂
@@alexmacdonald9182 could you explain that comment. Genuinely curious.
@@alexmacdonald9182 I am worth WAY less than $1.3M and I sure as he11 won't be voting Democratic, ever.
Smartest thing Tuld said to Sam is that he's been doing this thing over and over for 40 years. Sam has blood on his hands too and it's hypocritical to suddenly expect to take the high road. Tuld acknowledges they emerge victorious at the expense of others, but Sam is still believing he's more ethical despite screwing people over for 40 years in the business. Tuld is actually more self-aware and respectable as a result. Both made their fortunes off others' misery, but Tuld is open about it.
@@mar_man813 Exactly
Absolutely sublime writing and acting.
The CEO's point of view is very interesting. He basically says that this is how the world's always worked. No matter what you do the crisis will happen again and again as it already happened a lot of times. If it's not him who does it it will be someone other. Nobody can change how the human nature works what the economy basically built on, and only because in this time it is them it just happened to, the world didn't become an uglier place than it was before. Nothing changed. All they can do is trying to stay alive. That's why the CEO doesn't feel like he is responsible for anything. This is a very hard question, because on the one hand he's right but on the other hand he isn't ...
But this is a fact that no matter how you appreciate your things your food in your warm home for the ones who are starving and suffering the poorness when they get in the same position as you they will waste their things the same as we do.
"You're gonna keep the kid?"
"Keep him? He's getting promoted!"
@Albert Fels that’s right.
@Ronald Williams The wealthy are just as entitled and worthless as the poor. By giving your kids the best, you are actually giving them the worst.
@@zackthebongripper7274 can you define "worst"? Impartially and without bias?
@@crescentprincekronos2518 There is no bias. It's an objective truth. You do not understand the last sentence? LOL.
love this scene, when sam walks along the hall with the score
During that speech Sam realized as much as he hated it he didn’t want to be one of the losers. And that he could have easily been and was lucky to be given the choice between winning and losing. He loved his dog so much he’d sacrifice some of his morals to be a winner so he could take care of his dog
I haven’t seen the entire movie, but it seems like a weak excuse. His dog might cost him thousands. But he’s a high ranking Wall Street executive, who’s been paid millions of dollars over decades. Does he really need more?
@@lukecadigan3937 that’s the only explanation the movie offered so I went with it. But I agree. Making that much for decades and you need it? He works in banking but is horrible with personal finance and I have no sympathy. If you make millions but are still broke you’re an idiot. In the end he’s no better than his coworkers he likes to criticize. He sees the damage but is to much of a coward to make a sacrifice for his values.
it was hinted he got fkd in divorce
the fact that he's eating brings a whole level of natural to everything he's saying. The things he says are business oriented decisions but they're now brought in a field of natural, it feels like they're an obvious course of action. There's no wrong or right it's just what you do to survive. Cynicism, pragmatism conveyed so seamlessly. It would be hard for anyone to argue with anything he said because it would feel like you spoil a perfectly serene balance
I missed this line a few times until now - "There's gonna be a lot of money to be made coming out of this mess." I mean...just wow. So they knowingly, willingly created a housing disaster over a long period of time, firesaled all their MBSs and essentially bankrupted other buyers/corporations by selling MBSs that were essentially worthless or about to be, then they pounce on the aftermath to figure out how to make even more. Just unbelievable greed.
Wait till the fed starts selling those MBS contracts. We just kicked this can down the road to today, its going to be crazy.
I don’t think it’s greed. They didn’t cause it, they were just playing with fire that everyone else was. They were just the first to get out. Real cause was government forcing out bad mortgages, but Wallstreet went with it bc it made a lot of money and no one thought it was as dangerous as it was
@@robertwright4906 It absolutely was greed, along with malfeasance and knowing ignorance. No one forced firms to package with bad loans with good ones, and no one forced firms to make bets on those poisoned pills. Wall Street made a lot of money in the short term, so they didn't want to think about how dangerous that was in the long term. They don't care about what happens to the next guy, or even the guy next to them.
@@robertwright4906yea the big bad govt forcing those poor helpless banks to sell dogshit for ridiculous profits. The pursuit of money and profit absolutely caused this mess
Greed is what runs the Wall Street and investment banks. For them it’s just made up money.
1637: Tulip mania Bubble
1797: Panic of 1796-1797
1819: Panic of 1819
1837: Panic of 1837
1857: Panic of 1857
1884: Panic of 1884
1901: Panic of 1901
1907: Panic of 1907
1929: Wall Street Crash of 1929
1937: Recession of 1937-1938
1974: 1973-1974 stock market crash
1987: Black Monday
1992: Black Wednesday
1997: 1997 Asian financial crisis + October 27, 1997, mini-crash
2000: Dot-com bubble
I was just curious 😆
Those dates really started getting closer after a while, didn't they?
4 in the 1800s, 8 in the 1900s, 16 stock market crashes this century?
2008: Great recession
2010: Flash Crash (the game is rigged!!!)
2020: Coronavirus Crash
2024: The Great Reset
Thank you for this. I was watching a 3 hour documentary about central banking when half in I realized I had heard all the dates before. All these dates have something in common. Particularly the people behind the crashes.
Thank you for this. I was watching a 3 hour documentary about central banking when half in I realized I had heard all the dates before. All these dates have something in common. Particularly the people behind the crashes.
Irons is a boss in this monologue
The ending shot of Tuld eating alone while Jared and Peter converse in the background makes this scene. It really emphasizes the expression, 'its lonely at the top'.
Tuld's achieved everything, and yet there he is, trying to convince people to stay while people under him are gone.
I get the impression he likes it that way though, after all this time. It shows you why he "makes the big bucks", why he is "sitting in this chair" as he puts it. Once he has assessed the situation, come up with and implemented a plan, he has already moved on to the next thing - strategizing the next move quicker than anyone else. No second guesses or dwelling on the past. It's a very effective character portrayal of how his character does what he does, and enjoys it.
I think Jared is probably warming Peter up too. Getting him ready for a chat with Tuld (someone he’s probably only ever seen a few times in the previous year) but who is about to compliment the kids work, sell him on their mission to make more money coming out of this, discuss the importance of keeping exactly how he uncovered the projection a secret, and give him a freaking promotion. All these scenes are filled with so much detail it’s amazing.
Reminds me of the final shot of The Big Short, where Carrell/Eisman is all alone at the top of his building too when he cashes out on the short of the same crisis.
Yeah the scene shows just how ruthless Tuld is. Sam is sick to his stomach about the day, hundreds of people at the company lost their jobs and the global economy will be ruined while Tuld is happily eating. He's seen it all before and like a psychopath it doesn't affect him at all
Someone upstairs likes you and that isn't me. 🤣🤣
How amazing is he as an actor,he's not even eating anything,he's put no food in his mouth..
The problem I have with this movie in general is that after spending 10 years in this environment I can assure you that none of those top execs in big banks are as intelligent and witty as this movie pictures. 80% of them are tools and have no idea what they are doing outside of procedures and workflows given to them.
Never worked in investment banking but worked in high up places in government. I feel the same way about it.
They are cynical in a similar way where they make lazy justifications for why they are in charge but with none of the wit and charisma seen here.
Also I think if someone discovered something like this they would probably just ignore it rather than confront it.
Yeah, it’s been hit or miss, but I do wish they did more monologues
This an example how you can make a great movie without cgi, explosions, bare butts, car crashes and believe or not - without a single shot from a gun. This picture is a gem.
Tulde was pretty on point with his speech except when he says “It’s *just* money.” That’s the kind of thing rich people say because they forget that in this country money basically controls your entire life.
It Isn't Money That Keeps These People Going. It's The Game. They Know They Can Bite Hard While Playing By The Rules
He's also, 100%, empirically wrong about how the percentages stay the same. Gini coefficients vary over time, and from place to place.
And, zoomed out further, if what he said was true, stealing from people would be morally neutral lol. Fuck it, call up 1000 pensioners, defraud them out of their life savings, and buy a yacht with it; there's always going to be the same number of winners and losers, so nothing you can do is actually making the world worse! Except what he did was on a larger scale than that. It's a convenient little lie to oneself to absolve him of any guilt he feels; "nothing I do makes a difference, so I might as well do it and be stinking rich." It's comforting, but it's not actually true.
"It's just money" is perfectly on point. It means that people who make decisions with vast amounts of money already have money so being risky with it, really has no impact on them.
The "he tells it like it is" crowd love it
Lmao, it's tragic isn't it. Scriptwriter: long monologue giving a self-serving but ultimately completely nonsensical justification for the character's crimes, with clear undertones of psychopathy
RUclips commenters: Wow! So true!!
@@Muzikman127 LOL they can’t get enough of the darkness
@@Muzikman127 This was my exact thoughts when I scrolled down to read the comments. I guess the writer and Irons did TOO good of a job - everyone bought the character's bullshit!
1:57 The helicopter sound outside the window (which comes and goes through this whole scene) is a nice touch. Other Wall Street executives flying somewhere--just as Tuld had flown in for the 4AM meeting earlier.
Or just tour helicopters that fly around NYC all day lol
@M W He appeared to be scribbling on the newspaper with a pen. He might have been doing the crossword.
I love the mentality and raw leadership of John the CEO, the idea of “there’s tons of money to be made coming out of this mess.” Even through a disastrous and highly stressful event he adapts quickly and will find a way to succeed, building a team who can help him ensure success on his mission. He knew he messed up bad and took accountability but he’s already 2 steps ahead looking for another way to build success on top of a crash to come.
Hi - I will add to your discussion of John as an effective collaborator (he speaks his mind even though unpopular, willing to talk about a difficult conversation with a different perspective ).
_"You know, I'm starting to feel a little better about this whole thing."_
Whole world could be in ruins, yet it still fits XD
thats pretty much every economic implosion denial panic bargaining sadness acceptance.
We'll keep him. We need to set someone up for the fall.
One of the striking things about this scene is the music. It's tense as Kevin Spacey's character heads impatiently towards the top floor, then becomes almost apathetic as we see Jeremy Irons character cheerfully eating his wine accompanied lunch, as dozens of people lose their jobs on the floor below. Brilliant.
"It's not a question of enough pal,. It's a zero sum game, somebody wins, somebody loses. Money itself is not lost or made - it is simply transferred from one perception to another" Gordon Gekko
Jeremy irons voice deserves its own Oscar
“When did you start feeling sorry for yourself? It’s unbearable.”
Wow.
the sheer disgust on spacey's face when irons says "there's gonna be a lot of money to be made coming out of this mess," just perfect. the shit never ends. once the line is done going down, it must go back up again. what a cruel machine we live in
Omg, this movie is like one hundred little scenes that all are magnificent)
Fantastic film with so many great performances.
Exactly, not a single scene was wasted.
This scene, masterfully executed by two actors greater than life, is pure definition of GREED!
Notice how Jeremy Irons rubs his nose. Hints to a bit of cocaine usage on the past. Fits his character. It’s a very nice piece of subtlety revealing a bit more about his character
The nose rubbing is alot more obvious in the 4am board meeting scene, Irons really nailed this role to perfection
Such a powerhouse film. Well written and brilliantly acted by some of the best. 🎥😎🤙🏾
I lived through this with a job mortgage kids. Because of that I say it is better to be like the character irons is playing. In control. Making moves first and being ahead of the pack while the rest are trying to figure out what is happening.
You can't change the game, only play it.
He’s not in control. Not even close. The man says so himself. He just has to react.
"I need the money. Hard to believe it after all these years, but I still need the money."
Hearing the sound of him cutting the flesh throughout this scene was an excellent allegory of him cutting of many employee's from the company.
"It's just money, it's made up."
"You're still behind on your payments sir."
“Sir this is a Wendy’s. $10.92 please.”
"He's getting promoted. It's all hands on deck now, Sam. There's going to be a lot of money to be made coming out of this mess.."
Already planning the next grift. Absolutely amazing scene.
I wouldn't be surprised if he got Demi Moores old job since she got fired. He was able to figure the solution out immediately and acted on it while she did nothing for over a year
It's kinda ironic that he calls it "just a piece of paper", just so we won't kill each other for something we want. When he essentially "killled" or put out people out of business just so their company survives.
the double quotes you had to use prove his point. they ARE his point. that's what he's saying - the "defeated enemies" are put out of business... as opposed to physically raped, mutilated, slaughtered.
That ‘little speech’ was not cynical, it was spot on. It’s not a good excuse to do bad things, but neither is it wrong to be stoic about it.
“It’s just money.”
No, it’s never just money. It’s people’s lives, homes, jobs.
The way he held a cheque in the bathroom scene and Sam came up to look at it. He knew Sam won’t be able to resist it. and he said it in this scene ‘I need the money’. Great film.
Best advice I ever got. A day is just a day not good or bad, it’s what we CHOOSE to make it.
Him promoting Zachary Quinto showed he was a good CEO.
Good is relative here, but I agree it was a smart move by Tuld (Jeremy Irons). Sullivan's (Zachary Quinto) contribution to discovering the problem, keeping quiet about it to others, working through after-hours, complying competently to Tuld's demands during the business meeting, and not outwardly showing emotional qualms about it all makes him a very valuable asset to Tuld. He was more valuable to the company in a higher position.
@@Devilsnightforlife technically Eric Dale (Stanley Tucci) discovered the problem, but obviously he got canned.
@@Jukeboxster Yep, that's why I said Sullivan contributed to discovering the problem. Eric Dale was missing necessary pieces that Sullivan helped fill in. Makes you wonder though, if Eric Dale had been working on it for months (maybe even a full year, as we know that's when the red flags first started to show up), how Sullivan could have finished it within a few hours. But perhaps Sullivan was just smarter than Eric, or his work was just _that_ close to finishing but he got fired before he could put in the final pieces.
"this matter needs to be dealt with urgently. So urgently in fact probably should've been addressed weeks ago. But that is spilt milk under the bridge". A good CEO would have addressed it weeks ago.
4:11 Lol the way he delivers "1987... didn't that fuck... Jesus it fucked me up good!" is just so funny for some reason
I've just had two beers, and I'm starting to feel a little better about this whole (Celsius) thing.
Love it how there's always a connection between money, wealth, and hunger. Wall Street is full of scenes depicting opulent eating, and whenever I watch Gordon Gekko delivering one of his monologues I get hungry for some reason.
Spacey walks past him like he is thinking "Who is this turd and why does he think he is more important than me"
He's right, the percentages don't change. You are always deciding if you can be on the side that's going to get ahead in this cycle while not getting into the camp that falls back so much that they can't stay in the game. Short cycles are 4 to 8 years, mid cycles are those that can be 12 to 50 years, and the long game is something you only see once in a life time. These cycles trend based on what people decided to do years or decades before you realize it and altering the trends are nearly impossible to even budge either way.
Incredibly relevant now with the SVB debacle
1:25 I just noticed that the two HR ladies who fired Eric Dale were themselves fired in this scene, leaving the building with their belongings. Amazing attention to detail
How the hell Jeremy Irons DID NOT pick up Oscar nom for this? Even now cancelled Kevin Spacey played an unusual role for him, where he is not the alfa... but Jeremy is astonishing.
This film is a thing of majesty.
Those who believe money is made up and just pieces of paper have never gone a day with the pain of not knowing where your next meal is coming from.
The only people who said that are millionaires and billionaires that's why it cracks me up everytime he says that in this scene.
Money is fake, unfortunately its the most common and acceptable form of bartering in this world we live in.
I personally try and own as little money as possible "once my bills and shopping are paid".
I put a little in a bank.
The rest i convert to gold coins
And i buy stocks and shares with the rest.
@@abdulrahman31350 How is it fake?
it is made up, but it doesn't mean much to say that, every human social structures are made up and yet they all serve a very real purpose
@@abdulrahman31350Stocks and shares are as fake as money. You are owning a share of a company, and what it is worth is based mostly only on what people think it’s worth.
I love the line: “it just money, it’s made up” so true.
I can't help thinking at the end there, as John picks up his pen to write on that pad, that there's checklist like:
Make Sarah Scapegoat - Done
Persuade Sam to stay on for two years - Done
Promote the kid -
Go play golf -
Such an underrated film on money 💰. Must watch for every human.
I feel Irons portrayed a kind of "cold courtesy" very well, it's only when his character berates Spacey's for "feeling sorry for himself" that he starts talking on a more personal level. The change is subtle, and it's mixed with the same cold courtesy he was displaying before, but you can tell he was more "there" when he starts talking about money and the years of notable recession.
This is actually a bit scary considering what he and his company just pulled, but for Tuld...it was Friday.
I like the subtle touch of the sound of helicopters coming and going on the roof of the building. Like the executives are fleeing to their house in the Hamptons after a rough day at work.
When deception is built into the game, you get something that strongly resembles global finance. It's all played like a game, and it helps if you don't give a shit about people.
Jeremy Irons is a grandmaster. His acting commands your attention.
"We can't help ourselves." Perfect description of where the U.S. is going right now.
Yeah these morons are doing it on purpose though, that ideology nonsense isn't a good excuse any more.
@@binisman6064 The leaders are doing it to break down American culture and independence. The followers actually believe the ideology, which is a tool of the leaders. Always the way. Snowball/Boxer Napoleon/Pigs
@@KamalaTheClown
Biden is a puppet
Just like every previous president.
Including DJT.
The last president who tried changing things,
Had his brains blown out in Dallas.
That is what happens
When you buck the system!!
You do not retire to your mansion in Florida and appear on Television programming.
You have your brains blown out
In broad daylight
For everyone to witness.
@@johntrueconservative2547 and it scared all the should be leaders into not going against them. That's why is hasn't happened since. 1960s era was the ending. They don't have to do it again because they have already won.
@@crescentprincekronos2518
Agreed
I love that he's doing a crossword. Such a subtle addition to the more in-your-face aspect of him eating a nicely prepared meal.
0:32 "Now?" "Yes, Sam. No loose ends."
In a different movie genre, this is when the bad guy executes his own footsoldiers to keep them quiet. Right after the job.
Jared seems irritated at Sam's growing consciousness. Looks like he wishes Sam were now l more heartless like in his younger years
It's crazy how he knew the years of collapses off the top of his head, and the way Sam reacts. Unreal.
Also great acting and power dynamic by Sam. He gets up, not giving an answer, and the boss looks up with a tinge of anxiety. Then Sam says yes and he at least gets to feel like he "won" the conversation
I love how Sam just throws his glasses off halfway through the list of crashes. He has no counter, and is beyond frustrated.
That's the irony of money. $40,000 to a rich person is just paper, it's made up. But to a poor person, it's working 80 hours per week in a manual labor job, in sh*t up to your elbows. A rich person with $300,000 in a simple bank CD makes the same income with fewer taxes as a person working min wage full time.
To a rich person, inflation means your stock portfolio has stalled. To a poor person, it means milk and eggs are 70% more expensive, your adjustable mortgage payment just doubled, your insurance and bills are skyrocketing the $5000 you have in the bank has 20% less spending power than a year ago...and your wages haven't increased.
All true except that stock portfolios generally outrun inflation so it's even better for those who own stocks.
It comes down to one thing... it still does and always will... "we can't help ourselves".
That guy just described economic Pareto Distribution perfectly.
Literally so few things work ⅕
Most things are 90-95% 5-10% split economically. No one is saying to redistribute to balance it back to "normal", either. The shit is "true" when he wants it to be, so fucken hilarious