Money | Monster

The film explores the ethics of "infotainment" in finance, the lack of accountability in the banking sector, and the desperation of the working class in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.

Armed with a gun and a bomb vest, Kyle demands answers for a mysterious "glitch" that caused an $800 million loss for IBIS Capital . Behind the scenes, producer Patty Fenn Money Monster

The film is brutal in its depiction of how social media reacts to the hostage crisis. From #LeeGatesIsDead trends to conspiracy theories, the online mob treats a murder-suicide as if it were the Super Bowl. In the age of livestreamed shootings and "digital rubbernecking," Money Monster feels uncomfortably prescient. The film explores the ethics of "infotainment" in

Lee Gates, the flamboyant host of Money Monster , opens his show with a song-and-dance number. He dispenses volatile stock tips to millions of viewers. Today, he promotes a dubious “sure thing” algorithm. Suddenly, a deliveryman, Kyle Budwell, storms the set, forces Lee into a chair, straps him with a vest made of fake bombs (though Kyle believes they’re real), and puts a gun to his head. Kyle demands answers: he lost $60,000 (his late girlfriend’s inheritance) after investing in a company called IBIS Clear Capital, whose stock mysteriously “glitched” and vanished overnight. He dispenses volatile stock tips to millions of viewers

The success of the film hinged on the audience sympathizing with the "villain." Jack O'Connell delivers a raw, visceral performance. He captures the frantic energy of a man who has nothing left to lose. He isn't holding the studio hostage for money; he is holding it hostage for truth. His desperation humanizes the statistical casualties of the financial crisis.