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“This is how it happened.” Or at least that’s what the new documentary Inside Job wants us to believe as it sets out to detail the 2008 financial collapse that caused the country’s worst economic recession since the Great Depression.

Directed by Charles Ferguson (No End in Sight), Inside Job makes a case for why the crash happened: deregulation. After showing how Iceland was devastated by deregulation of its banking industry, Ferguson’s effort recalls how, in the early 1980s, President Ronald Reagan began peeling away regulatory measures instituted during and after the Great Depression to keep Wall Street and the banking industry in check. At this point, Inside Job begins to feel like it’s going to be just a biting, Hollywood attack on economic conservatives and Republicans. However, Ferguson deserves praise for avoiding overt partisanship, and spreads the blame around equally, right to left, red or blue.

A parade of economists, academics, politicians, and foreign government officials are brought before the camera and grilled over how and why it all happened. The questions are precise and the follow-ups are superb. No one is allowed to squirm their way out a question that makes them uncomfortable. Unfortunately, the major architects of the 2008 collapse, including such notables as former Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson and the heads of various financial institutions like AIG and Merrill Lynch, declined to be interviewed. There are a couple exceptions and they end up providing some tragicomic relief as they stumble for answers to avoid proving that they had their own hands in the proverbial cookie jar. Ferguson also touches upon how academia has been polluted by some of the same people who helped create the problems we now face.

Matt Damon provides excellent narration throughout. His voice is consistent without becoming monotone or overly dramatic. If you did not know what a derivative or a CDO (collateralized debt obligation) was before watching Inside Job, Damon, with the aid of useful charts, will provide all the information you’ll need to understand what is a complicated mess.

Thus far, 2010 has been a terrific year for documentaries—The Art of the Steal, Countdown to Zero, and Waiting for Superman, to name a few. The latter two, like Inside Job, should be looked upon as wake-up calls to America. Two generations ago, Americans protested in the streets all across the country and made their voices heard. True, there has been revolt at the ballot box—in this last election, people tossed out incumbents right and left. But will that make a difference? Perhaps more would continue to call for change if they saw this truly enlightening documentary, which makes a point at the end to show that many of the Federal government’s top economic advisors and cabinet officials were architects of the 2008 collapse. It leaves you wondering if it could all still get worse.

On a letter-grade scale from “A” being excellent to “F” for failing, Inside Job receives an A.

Inside Job is rated PG-13 and has a running time of 120 minutes.

Now showing through November 18 @
Tivoli Cinemas
Westport Manor Square
4050 Pennsylvania, Kansas City, MO
Visit www.tivolikc.com or call 913-383-7756 for more information.

By Michael D. Smith

Indie Film Editor

Michael D. Smith earned a Bachelor of Arts in history at College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri followed by a Master of Arts in history at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Inspired by such critics as Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, Michael started reviewing films in 1992 for College of the Ozarks's student-run newspaper. After returning to the Kansas City area in 1994, he continued film reviewing by writing for the Cass County Democrat Missourian in Harrisonville.

In 2000 Michael joined Sun Publications in Overland Park, Kansas where he served as its film critic and Arts and Entertainment Editor. During his tenure there, he was also the film critic for the "Fine Arts Radio Hour" and "Celebrity Scoop" radio shows on KXTR. After leaving the Sun in late 2002, he became the A&E writer for the Olathe News in Olathe, Kansas. He also worked as a freelance writer for The Squire in Leawood, Showcase Publishing in Lake Ozark, Missouri and the Kansas City Star.

Michael is currently a member of the Kansas City Film Critics Circle, a professional film critic organization established in 1966 by the late Dr. James Loutzenhiser.

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