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Amazon.co.uk Review
As he did with the occupation of Iraq in No End in Sight, Charles Ferguson shines a light on the global financial crisis in Inside Job. Accompanied by narration from Matt Damon, Ferguson begins and ends in Iceland, a flourishing country that gave American-style banking a try--and paid the price. Then he looks at the spectacular rise and cataclysmic fall of deregulation in the United States. Unlike Alex Gibney's fiscal films, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room and Casino Jack, Ferguson builds his narrative around dozens of players, interviewing authors, bank managers, government ministers, and even a psychotherapist, who speaks to a culture that encourages Gordon Gekko-like behavior, but the number of those who declined to comment, like Alan Greenspan, is even larger. Though the director isn't as combative as Michael Moore, he asks tough questions and elicits squirms from several participants, notably former Treasury secretary David McCormick and Columbia dean Glenn Hubbard, George W. Bush's economic adviser. Their reactions are understandable, since the borders between Wall Street, Washington, and the Ivy League dissolved years ago; it's hard to know who to trust when conflicts of interest run rampant. If Ferguson takes Reagan and Bush to task for tax cuts that benefit the wealthy, he criticizes Clinton for encouraging derivatives and Obama for failing to deliver on the promise of reform. And in the category of unlikely heroes: former governor Eliot Spitzer, who fought against fraud as New York's attorney general (he's the subject of Gibney's documentary Client 9). --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Product Description
From Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker, Charles Ferguson (No End in Sight), comes Inside Job, the first film to expose the shocking truth behind the economic crisis of 2008. The global financial meltdown, at a cost of over $20 trillion, resulted in millions of people losing their homes and jobs. Through extensive research and interviews with major financial insiders, politicians and journalists, Inside Job traces the rise of a rogue industry and unveils the corrosive relationships which have corrupted politics, regulation and academia.
Special Features:
Special Features:
- Commentary with Director Charles Ferguson & Producer Audrey Marrs
- The Making of Inside Job
- Deleted Scenes
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I've seen this film twice now and can't recommend it highly enough. It covers much of the same ground as Whoops!, but with much greater focus on America in general; and the way that investment banks, the government, and academia are cosily interlocked in particular.
The opening six minutes - a potted history of Iceland's deregulation and subsequent near-collapse - should be required viewing for anyone arguing that the UK (or anywhere else) is "over-regulated", as some of our political leaders have been doing at the time of writing.
The film makes no attempt to present a balanced view (though I've yet to come across any counter-argument from any other source either). The interviews are either with people heavily supportive of the film's basic premise, who are just allowed to talk; or (heavily edited) sessions with some of the key supporters of the banks who get asked some very awkward questions and have to squirm whilst the camera keeps rolling. It's fun to watch their discomfiture and hard to feel any sympathy when you find out just how rich these people are, and remain. There are also highlights of some of the Congressional hearings that followed the 2008 crisis, one of which neatly sums up the (continuing) problem: that the banks are very sorry for what they have done and promise not to do it again - just the same kind of response you'd expect from a bank *robber* if they were caught.
The explanation of the cause(s) of the crisis - whilst helped a bit by some fancy graphics - is neither as lucid nor as entertaining as Whoops!, but the central argument of the film is very powerful and in places breathtaking. (When I saw this at the cinema there were gasps from the audience at several points). This is particularly true of the end when it is made clear that, despite the branding, things haven't changed (and aren't likely to) under the Obama administration.
The opening six minutes - a potted history of Iceland's deregulation and subsequent near-collapse - should be required viewing for anyone arguing that the UK (or anywhere else) is "over-regulated", as some of our political leaders have been doing at the time of writing.
The film makes no attempt to present a balanced view (though I've yet to come across any counter-argument from any other source either). The interviews are either with people heavily supportive of the film's basic premise, who are just allowed to talk; or (heavily edited) sessions with some of the key supporters of the banks who get asked some very awkward questions and have to squirm whilst the camera keeps rolling. It's fun to watch their discomfiture and hard to feel any sympathy when you find out just how rich these people are, and remain. There are also highlights of some of the Congressional hearings that followed the 2008 crisis, one of which neatly sums up the (continuing) problem: that the banks are very sorry for what they have done and promise not to do it again - just the same kind of response you'd expect from a bank *robber* if they were caught.
The explanation of the cause(s) of the crisis - whilst helped a bit by some fancy graphics - is neither as lucid nor as entertaining as Whoops!, but the central argument of the film is very powerful and in places breathtaking. (When I saw this at the cinema there were gasps from the audience at several points). This is particularly true of the end when it is made clear that, despite the branding, things haven't changed (and aren't likely to) under the Obama administration.
52 of 55 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I knew most of this detail already and was only surprised not to see friends being interviewed. Larry Summers who makes an appearance in The Social Network as President of Harvard was the influential mentor of Ed Balls, MP. The film was beautifully constructed. It was well-structured and provided modules of insight to comprehend what was really quite simple - but journalists and apologists pretend is "complex".
When you buy something you do not expect to have to unscrew the fascia plate to find if the insides are what the outside says they are. You do when you deal with financial products. Manufacturing synthetic government bonds for pension funds by using mortgages is great until you need increasing supply to soak up that liquidity slushing around from Chinese trade surpluses. So a whole group of new companies set up to seduce the unwary into houses on easy mortgages just to generate the bonds to trade - the poor suckers lose their homes and savings and dreams when the teaser-mortgages adjust to market interest rates, but the bond trader is in the money.
A few snake oil salesmen from Moody or Fitch to chant incantations over the offering and declare it AAA or golden enough for widows and orphans to insure their future, and a friendly insurance company evading US regulators in London builds a casino business around risk-insurance CDS. Soon the great Goldman Machine finds it can buy CDS insurance against any eventuality and make money by selling junk to suckers, dumping junk in the market, and turning to AIG for insurance cover. This great aircraft insurer doesn't need to make reserves for risk because it is all UNREGULATED. And, if it goes bust there are politicians on payroll to use taxpayer funds to bail out the mess.
The US Treasury was looted by a crowd of gangsters whose scale made Al Capone look like the street hood he was. This was systematic fraud and corruption which has destroyed the myth of Western democracy. Having accused Asians of Crony Capitalism in 1990s, we now see the US and European versions ourselves in full naked glory. It is so blatant, the Oligarchs have shown how they take the savings (tax subsidised) and pension funds of the labour force and use them in high-stakes games of roulette.
This film is a must-see, and should be watched twice...in silence to appreciate the full beauty of the scam.
When you buy something you do not expect to have to unscrew the fascia plate to find if the insides are what the outside says they are. You do when you deal with financial products. Manufacturing synthetic government bonds for pension funds by using mortgages is great until you need increasing supply to soak up that liquidity slushing around from Chinese trade surpluses. So a whole group of new companies set up to seduce the unwary into houses on easy mortgages just to generate the bonds to trade - the poor suckers lose their homes and savings and dreams when the teaser-mortgages adjust to market interest rates, but the bond trader is in the money.
A few snake oil salesmen from Moody or Fitch to chant incantations over the offering and declare it AAA or golden enough for widows and orphans to insure their future, and a friendly insurance company evading US regulators in London builds a casino business around risk-insurance CDS. Soon the great Goldman Machine finds it can buy CDS insurance against any eventuality and make money by selling junk to suckers, dumping junk in the market, and turning to AIG for insurance cover. This great aircraft insurer doesn't need to make reserves for risk because it is all UNREGULATED. And, if it goes bust there are politicians on payroll to use taxpayer funds to bail out the mess.
The US Treasury was looted by a crowd of gangsters whose scale made Al Capone look like the street hood he was. This was systematic fraud and corruption which has destroyed the myth of Western democracy. Having accused Asians of Crony Capitalism in 1990s, we now see the US and European versions ourselves in full naked glory. It is so blatant, the Oligarchs have shown how they take the savings (tax subsidised) and pension funds of the labour force and use them in high-stakes games of roulette.
This film is a must-see, and should be watched twice...in silence to appreciate the full beauty of the scam.
60 of 64 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Just seen Inside Job on Emirates flight to London. It was compelling viewing both on all aspects of global meltdown of 2008 covered succinctly as also o where the world in now. It is shocking to hear bankers admit they have been guilty of over-the-topgreed and need to be regulated. More shocking is revelation of how the study of Economics at major US academic centres like Harvard/ Berkeley / Columbia are being corrupted to meet the diktats of powerful banking industry. The nexus between politics / financial industry/ and academics in de-regulating the not very ethical world of money has been laid bare
There were strong warnings sounded all through the last decade by honest professionals
that were over-ridden and un-heeded - especially one like Raghuram Rajan in his paper of 2005 asking - Is the
financial industry making the world riskier? The likes of Alan Greenspan and Larry Summars need to have their
heads examined as do University Professors who stare blank at conflicts of interest in taking money for writing
things in support of actions that have damaged institutions and the world-wide economy. No one can not help us when
we repeat the same mistakes and head into more risks and crisis
This is a must-see for all serious central bankers and finance ministry officials of countries
Christie Cherian
There were strong warnings sounded all through the last decade by honest professionals
that were over-ridden and un-heeded - especially one like Raghuram Rajan in his paper of 2005 asking - Is the
financial industry making the world riskier? The likes of Alan Greenspan and Larry Summars need to have their
heads examined as do University Professors who stare blank at conflicts of interest in taking money for writing
things in support of actions that have damaged institutions and the world-wide economy. No one can not help us when
we repeat the same mistakes and head into more risks and crisis
This is a must-see for all serious central bankers and finance ministry officials of countries
Christie Cherian
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
One of the best, critical documentary about the Subprime Crisis and...
This documentary about the subprime financial crisis really nails the causes of the rollercoaster of a world changer. Ferguson et al. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Lauesen
A Must See
This DVD details the corruption of the financial markets in the US in particular. It shows us how banks like Goldman Sachs end up supplying US Treasury Secretaries or people in... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Amazon User
must watch
This is a must watch film to see how these blood sucking cheating low life bankers have heaped misery on the world and continue to do so and still get away with it.. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Tjh Knight
A nice film
Charles Ferguson is a guy who had founded a startup called Vermeer which he then sold to Microsoft, who called the product .. FrontPage (web site edition tools). Read more
Published 1 month ago by Fox-trot
Required viewing
Great documentary. Good to see a few - but sadly only a few - of the guilty squirming under intelligent questioning. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Stevedan
When the Chancellor, and the People, become the only SAVIOURS
Inside Job
Inside Job [DVD] [2011]
Well worth seeing, and knowing,how GREED was the culprit.
Watch the top financial world heads, give their explanations. Read more
Inside Job [DVD] [2011]
Well worth seeing, and knowing,how GREED was the culprit.
Watch the top financial world heads, give their explanations. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Graham
Eye Opener
The 'Inside Job' is both entertaining and informative. I was not sure what to expect and found the information was given in progression with the world wide events in the banking... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Gwyneth
OMG!
I couldn't believe it when I saw it first, how the corporate few having raided our pockets for all we're worth. This movie will make you seeth with anger. Read more
Published 3 months ago by eck4355
Entertaining, important primary source
I am a professional economist and currently teaching the banking crisis at a top UK university. This video would make a good entertaining watch and I recommend it on those... Read more
Published 3 months ago by E. S. Cannon
Chilling
A must see, especially those who think it is ok not to regulate the finacial sectors around the globe. Read more
Published 3 months ago by nocando
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