After The Big Short and The Wolf Of Wall Street have had their say in telling true stories from the darker side of finance, it looks like a more dramatic version of such subject matter has arrived. Check out the trailer to Jodie Foster's Money Monster, starring George Clooney and Julia Roberts, below.
Sony released the trailer for Money Monster yesterday, and the result look like a fast-paced, taut exercise in tension. Marking her first directorial effort since 2011's The Beaver, Jodie Foster's new film focuses on a day in the lives of television financial analyst Lee Gates (Clooney) and his producer, Patty Fenn (Roberts.) Unfortunately for them, that day happens to be the day that a maniac (71's Jack O'Connell) enters the building, armed with a gun and an explosive vest. With Lee strapped into the vest, and his would-be assailant spinning a story of financial woe and malfeasance, the clock is ticking, and it won't be long before someone ends up making their last appearance on television.
On the surface, Money Monster looks like a cross between Phone Booth and The Negotiator, as it includes both the angle of televised hostage stand-offs and exposing corruption at gunpoint. Which obviously means that it's no coincidence that George Clooney's Lee Gates is modeled after real life TV personality Jim Cramer, as everything from the outlandish graphics to the silly buzzer button is present in this satirical drama. Though, to be fair, the closest we've ever come to seeing Cramer being forced into an apologetic state is that one interview he had with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show, and even then, explosives weren't required.
As thrilling as the stand off between Clooney and up-and-comer Jack O'Connell looks, what's even more exciting is the financial conspiracy angle that Money Monster is looking to take on. Judging by the way the trailer looks to be spinning the facts, it looks like co-stars Dominic West and Giancarlo Esposito are going to be part of the conspiracy controlling O'Connell's fate. Hopefully, with Julia Roberts in the control booth, things won't get too terribly out of control when it comes to the matters at hand.
While Money Monster does look intriguing, the trailer does seem to hit everything a little too on the nose, right down to the Bruce Springsteen tune selected for the latter half of the presentation. Also, it does feel like a few too many story beats are being given for the film's plot-line, feeding into that usual criticism that the trailer is spoiling the best parts of the film. Still, if this is the film Jodie Foster chose to make her return to directing with, we can't help but feel we have to give it at least somewhat of a shot. Plus, where else are you going to get to see George Clooney and Julia Roberts, outside of Ocean's Eleven? It's too good a deal to pass up.
Money Monster will be released into theaters on May 13th.
