Rating of
2.5/4
Decent Thriller, Timely Message
Unknown - wrote on 05/24/16
'Money Monster' is a real-time thriller with a stellar cast. I was involved right from the start. The setup is brief, but informative. We get right into the thick of the dire situation. We don't always stay in the area of the imminent threat. Many times the film cuts to multiple perspectives: spectators from around the world, police attempting to handle this situation, and people involved with the issue that originally motivated the captor. It's interesting to see the show's director and her assistants attempt to investigate the potential crimes committed within the stock exchange, while also handling the televised hostage situation. However, it's main purpose is solely to pin the blame on a certain character, thus detracting focus from the tense situation. The ideas behind the premise are rooted in a current state of affairs. It's obvious that the film leans mostly to one side of the issue of the wall street debate, and it does come off heavy handed at times. The second half losses some steam due to all of this, and the finale gave me mixed feelings. I did enjoy the engaging performances and the writing of the characters. There were also two typical hostage movie moments that flip expectations to good effect and some well placed humor. The negatives just weight a little heavy towards the end.