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Matt Damon, William Ackman, Daniel Alpert, Jonathan Alpert, Sigridur Benediktsdottir ... see more see more... , Willem Buiter , John Campbell , Patrick Daniel , Satyajit Das , Kristin Davis , Martin Feldstein , Jerome Fons , Barney Frank , Robert Gnaizda , Michael Greenberger , Eric Halperin , Samuel Hayes , Glenn Hubbard , Simon Johnson , Christine Lagarde , Jeffrey Lane , Andrew Lo , Lee Hsien Loong , Andri Snær Magnason , David McCormick , Lawrence McDonald , Harvey Miller , Frederic Mishkin , Charles Morris , Frank Partnoy , Raghuram Rajan , Kenneth Rogoff , Nouriel Roubini , Andrew Sheng , Allan Sloan , George Soros , Eliot Spitzer , Dominique Strauss-Kahn , Scott Talbott , Gillian Tett , Paul Volcker , Martin Wolf , Gylfi Zoega

Producer/director Charles Ferguson (No End in Sight) speaks at length with journalists, politicians, and financial insiders in order to offer a clearer picture of the economic meltdown that hit Americ... read more read more...a starting in 2008. Academy Award winner Matt Damon narrates this unflinching look at the deep-rooted corruption that has left millions of middle-class Americans jobless and homeless as the major corporations get bailed out while paying millions in bonuses. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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90% liked it

24,307 ratings

Critics

98% liked it

137 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 48 min.

Directed by: Charles Ferguson

Release Date: October 8, 2010

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DVD Release Date: March 8, 2011

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Flixster Reviews (2,394)

  • fb619846742
    January 6, 2012
    fb619846742
    A damning portrayal of corruption run amok at the highest rankings of government and big banks, which led to the recession of 2008 and the loss of jobs for many people worldwide. Clearly, Charles Ferguson has done his research, and his ability to ask tough questions without inser... read moreting himself too prominently like a Michael Moore film-maker might do, is definitely admirable. Great documentaries like this one get you angry and sick to your stomach that these sort of things happen. "Inside Job" has a long-lasting effect after it has concluded, sparking a desire to see those responsible get what they deserve and not just receive bail-outs for doing their jobs incorrectly while using their investors money to finance their own personal (like say, hiring prostitutes) interests. Definitely deserving of winning "Best Documentary" at the Oscars, and a film that expertly dissects our economic problem, including showing that we're still going downhill, but we as the people have the power to change this situation. That's pretty much all we have left after all, isn't it? A depressing but appropriately bleak and well realized message to a problem that seemingly has no answers anymore.
  • guaybanex
    October 23, 2011
    guaybanex
    "Inside Job" is one of the most depressing films of the past 5 years. Chronicling the financial collapse, the superbly-paced documentary "Inside Job" is a well-deserved Academy Award winner.
  • SirPant
    August 17, 2011
    SirPant
    If you're 'not interested' you really should be! The knock on affect from the stupid discussions made by the stupid, greedy idiots in this film is shocking. I know and understand the basics of the current global financial situation but I learnt so much more from this perfectly ex... read moreecuted documentary. The shocking 'where are they now' ending will make your skin crawl! The inside job could be categorised as a horror film, the real horror being that it's all real! Rent or buy it now while you still have a job!
  • bottcorecords1
    August 16, 2011
    bottcorecords1
    Idealogy vs. criminalogy. Inside Job is a documentary that attempts to show how an unregulated, free market economy is actually the worst thing imaginable when it comes to finance, by showing us first Norway, then America's disasterous attempts at unregulated economies. Beginni... read moreng with Ronald Reagan, and continuing through Obama's presidency, controls on Wall Street have been slowly yet methodically eased, until the ability to legally steal money became possible. Alan Greenspan's free market ideology and his governmental power brought about most of this deregulation. The loan industry lost all acountability as they were no longer responsible for defaulted loans, having sold them off to speculatory investors who were told by paid off credit rating agencies to rate them as AAA. Also, investment banking had become more popular, dealing with people's retirement funds and investing in "crap". People were minting money out of thin air, investing in houses built on sand, and paying themselves huge bonuses. When something is stolen, usually the thieves are punished. But when laws are changed to make theft legal to the clever criminal, there is no recourse left open to the victims. But just because it is legal to steal, does that mean people are required to? At some point, greed ceases to be the motivating factor, and people begin to acquire money as some sort of contest to see who has the biggest wallet. There is no longer a need or even a desire for money, just a desire to have more of it than anyone else. It seems that's the chief drawback to an unregulated market: the fact that there will always be those who will take advantage of the system. Deregulation doesn't create wealth, it destroys it.

    The film makes a great many points, and while it does delve into some technical areas (I learned what a C.D.O. is- even if I've already forgotten it), the last forty minutes or so become a bit redundant. When you've seen one crooked politician or investor sweating under the scrutiny of some off-camera interviewer, you've seen them all. It is an eye opener, however, to see just how much of a failure president Obama has been at keeping his campaign promise to "clean up wall street". In the end, Obama has been every bit the cheer leader for the wealthy that George W. was, and after the great Fannie May loan bailouts, it's a bitter, bitter betrayal of the people who put him in office.
  • FrizzDrop
    July 31, 2011
    FrizzDrop
    Politics aside, this is an in depth look at the rich getting richer mentality plaguing the American financial sector for the past thirty years. This is a wake-up call sort of film, a remembrance of the 2008 debacle that created craters in the global markets and kept our eyes glu... read moreed to Bloomberg TV. Job traces the collapse from the imminent past of the yuppie eighties and pinpointing the various episodic problems that the markets created for the average citizen by giving us loans we could not pay, selling CODs to investment firms, and not taking any of the criminally negligent actions with slack, but instead a convergence of government bailouts and a lack of reform in the Obama administration. The interviews were commenced on an intellectual level, without the quick ambush of a Michael Moore, but certainly dumbfounded the lobbyists and board members who were without their merits and knew less about the crisis than the people it was happening to. The graphics are impressive, Damon's narration isn't overwhelming, but certainly lends credibility to the words of the producer, director, and writer, Charles Ferguson. Much better researched and cerebral than Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story, this film does not focus on capitalism as a whole, but is more rooted in the greediness of the men who walked away with their fortunes, devastating the rest of the country, and even the world. Foreseen but clamped down by the men sent to protect us, the film ends on a note of disgust and need for reform in the administration for Change. No matter your personal politics (I myself am liberal) it's a frank look at a subject we all hear about, but never listen to.
  • hunterjt13
    July 21, 2011
    hunterjt13
    This documentary chronicles the global financial crisis of 2008.
    Like many documentaries these days, Inside Job is a thesis-driven doc. The thesis? That deregulation of the financial sector is the principal cause for the financial meltdown from which we are still recover... read moreing. It's a strong thesis with many proponents, and in order to argue against it, you'd come dangerously close to sounding like Rick Santelli.
    The film's explanation of credit default swaps and collateralized debt obligations (CDOs) is remarkably clear and easy for anyone to understand. They don't go into derivatives, but these would take much of a film to explain in any comprehensible manner. Understanding these financial instruments is key to having an educated discussion about economic policy, so for that reason alone, I strongly recommend the film.
    For those of you who don't like the [insert political party of your choice], you'll be happy to know that for every bad policy that the film criticizes Reagan or Bush for, it is sure to mention that Clinton and Obama didn't radically change things.
    I did find the editing rather opportunistic. Charles Ferguson, who I assume is the primary interviewer, is often able to ask lobbyists and academics pointed questions and cut away before they are able to give a cogent response or else we get to watch them stumbling for words before the film cuts away. It may be that these people are simply unable to answer for their actions, but it also feels as though the film doesn't want them to be able to.
    Overall, I found Inside Job interesting, insightful, educational, and well-argued/-constructed, especially when Ferguson went after the academic establishment for intellectually underwriting deregulation.
  • Tomassgringo
    June 27, 2011
    Tomassgringo
    If only watching a movie like this would actually change how things are done on Wall Street or D.C., sadly it does not.
  • RCCLBC
    April 26, 2011
    RCCLBC
    If you aren't already really pissed off...you haven't been paying attention.

    Does a good job at making an insanely complex and mind numbingly unethical string of events, a bit more comprehensible...but no less infuriating.

    These are the kinds of people and stories that if y... read moreou saw them in a fictional film you would laugh and say "this is too ridiculous to be believable"...only the characters and stories in this (non-fiction) film are our elected officials and business/financial leaders.

    A film that everyone (particularly Americans) really must see.
  • stevenecarrier
    March 23, 2011
    stevenecarrier
    "Inside Job" won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 2010 Oscars. It's easy to see why. This is a big budget, polished, finger pointing, slickly made documentary that almost anyone can appreciate. It will be especially enlightening to viewers who are unfamiliar ... read morewith the details and inside workings of the 2008 global financial crisis. I guess for me, I knew most of it going in, so I found it a bit rudimentary. I also thought that it never really dug deep enough. Some of it is scathing, sure, but when you are discussing things about the major players involved and every 5 mins you see "X refused to participate in this film" flash across the screen it takes away validity. "Inside Job" works best at clarifying a problem (much like "Waiting for 'Superman'") rather than actually giving a solution or adding insight. It's easy to see how it won the Oscar, being so stylishly constructed and taking on such an important, historical event so soon but just don't expect anything particularly probing, especially if you are well informed.
  • imrealgod
    March 15, 2011
    imrealgod
    "If only pointing out the loopholes and analyzing the problems in detail could have solved the situations......" ~ Anonymous

    Unless you've a high grasping and exceptionally great memorizing abilities, the info and knowledge gained through this documentary will evaporate within h... read moreours, if not minutes. I dare recommend this to only those who are highly interested in global financial situations. I'm not sure how many will find the given data valuable.

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Critic Reviews

Roger Moore
November 9, 2010
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

This scathing expose should be enough to alarm people all over the political spectrum. Full Review

Tom Long
November 5, 2010
Tom Long, Detroit News

Wall Street owns Washington. You might think you know this, but "Inside Job" makes you feel the enormity of it. Full Review

Christy Lemire
November 5, 2010
Christy Lemire, Associated Press

You don't have to know the difference between a credit default swap and a collateralized debt obligation to feel enraged anew by Charles Ferguson's thorough dissection of the country's economic collap...

Chris Vognar
November 4, 2010
Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News

Whether it's parsing the definition of a derivative or detailing the bad faith of major financial institutions, the new documentary Inside Job approaches its deconstruction of the financial meltdown w... Full Review

J. R. Jones
November 4, 2010
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

[Ferguson] can get to a story later but provide so much more context that his film seems definitive. Full Review

Peter Rainer
October 29, 2010
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

There have been plenty of books, articles, and movies about the 2007-08 financial meltdown and what led up to it, but if you're looking for a first-rate all-in-one overview, it doesn't get much better... Full Review

Liam Lacey
October 29, 2010
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

A trained economist might challenge his analysis, but there's no question that Ferguson, who holds a PhD in political science and is a former business consultant, is a formidable interviewer. Full Review

Peter Howell
October 28, 2010
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

It should have you leaving the theatre in the same angry mood that fuelled Toronto Mayor-elect Rob Ford's "Stop the Gravy Train!" mantra. Full Review

Carrie Rickey
October 28, 2010
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer

A damning indictment of the individuals and institutions who made money while customers lost their shirts. Full Review

Bill Goodykoontz
October 28, 2010
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic

f you've been affected by the bottom dropping out of the economy -- who hasn't? -- but didn't know where to target your disappointment, your frustration, your rage, Inside Job gives you the answer: Full Review

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    • Narrator: Why should a financial engineer be paid four times to 100 times more than a real engineer? A real engineer builds bridges. A financial engineer build dreams. And, you know, when those dreams turn out to be nightmares, other people pay for it.
    • Narrator: For the first time in history, average Americans have less education and are less prosperous than their parents.
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  • "I trust everyone, i just don't trust the devil inside of them" is a quote from what movie?  Answer »
  • In which movie was this tagline: " Trust everyone or everybody but don't trust the evil inside of them"?  Answer »
  • in what movie was the line said "i trust everybody, it the devil inside that i dont't trust"  Answer »
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