“Listen, if you really wanna do this with your life you have to believe you’re necessary and you are.”
– Will Emerson (Margin Call)
I enjoyed this movie, but I have to warn you, this one might not be for everybody. If you are looking for action-packed mayhem, comedy gold, or dazzling special effects, Margin Call is not the flick to pick. It offers something else entirely and while it is not exactly based on a true story, it does provide some insight into a situation that impacted most people in the first decade of the 2000s.
Margin Call follows a few characters and while you can semi-determine who the main characters are, most of the cast plays a fairly important role. Why on Earth would I pick this movie for motivation or inspiration? There is no simple or easy answer. The movie had a tremendous cast and was well-executed.
When it comes to movies, adventure is my preference. I don’t need death or destruction to be entertained, but the elements of wonder and danger add to an exciting cinematic experience. That being said, I am also attracted to movies that make you think, contemplate, challenge, consider, etc. Margin Call checks all those boxes. It is not for the easily bored or those looking to shift their mental gears into neutral.
Margin Call is the type of movie where missing consecutive scenes or even a conversation could put you into a place of not understanding what is happening. This was based on a real situation that ended up being financially devastating to a lot of people and served as a cautionary lesson on business, greed, and self-preservation at the expense of others.
I know it sounds bad, but the real takeaway, for me, is from the character of Peter Sullivan, played by Zachary Quinto. There are plenty of valuable lessons or eye-opening concepts throughout this film, but for me, it was Zachary Quinto that provided my inspiration. His hard work and intellect allowed him to see something that everyone else was missing.
He did not make any of the hard choices that resulted in financial ruin for so many. He focused on his work and did his job and because of his wit and diligence, while almost everyone else was out drinking or having fun, he saw what was happening and called it out. As a result, the company was able to act before anyone else and Peter reaped the rewards owed to hard work.
Disclaimer: What the company did was scummy. Downright awful. I do not condone what they did, or why they did it, and I would like to believe I would not have been so callous as to have done the same thing. The takeaway here was that intellect and hard work paid off.
Journeyman's Legacy 