The Big Short – Review

Had it been directed by Bennett Miller, The Big Short could have been a subtle, restrained procedural drama. Instead, it’s a confused clusterfuck of cinematic tropes piled atop a good yarn.

There are fine performances, notably from Bale and an almost unrecognisably world-weary Pitt, and smaller players Spall and Strong; yet half-hearted attempts at backstory and patchy character development constitute an admission that the screenwriters couldn’t juggle so many characters. Bale’s character, though entertaining, is a clichéd eccentric, and Gosling’s narrator is infuriating, lording over the assumed audience with economic explanations that are somehow both patronising and poorly thought-out.