Vue Thurrock: Money Monster

This weeks big release is mercifully not another super hero flick; on that basis alone it should be heralded. What it is trying to be is an intelligent drama centred around a siege of a news studio. The plot loosely speaking is of an investment advisor with his own big-time TV show where by its host, Lee Gates (George Clooney) playing a slimy creep of a financial insider who passes the duration of his show giving Stock tips to would be investors. But one day a young man Kyle Budwell (Jack O'Connell) turns up with a grenaded vest and a gun on account that he lost everything thanks to one of Gates less sound stock tips. What plays out is a siege film where by Clooney needs to rely on his wits to avoid being blown-up along with his studio and fellow hostages and it must be said it has its moments of genuine tension.
The siege-drama is what the film is sort of about but of course what the film is really doing is grabbing the opportunity to put the wall street system on trial and expose the farce behind the so called "experts". So is it any good? On the surface it should certainly be, you have Clooney on good form, Director Jodie Foster has genuine talent to marshal a story like this, Julia Roberts is required to do very little pounting but once the film establishes the characters. It does become all so predictable, Clooney recognising the corruption of the system he was so devoted to and those kinds of revelationary moments, but its doesn't ring remotely true, the idea that this insider would be in any way ignorant to how corrupt and flawed and unfair the whole financial market is is merely a plot devise to bring the insight to the audience in a way that is supposed to be a surprise is misplaced, we all know this; what we don't know is the detail of how these people get away with it. Maybe the film that needs to be made is to show how its tackled and stopped? The Wolf of Wall Street is troubled by an unsympathetic protagonist but does at least show the law in action to bring these people down, this film actually leaves you feeling rather angry as we are reminded again that its the little people who pay and the super rich who get away with it.
Is it worth the entry fee? Its entertaining and gripping so yes worth seeing, but it is at the same time a little unsatisfying.