Boiler Room (2000)

There is hardly a movie that after nearly a decade proves even more real than reality itself, thus being perhaps one of the most prescient movies ever. Who would 've predicted that in less than a 10-year time America and the world would have found itself on the brink of a total collapse with eggheads and presidents alike unable to do anything to stop this chaos , having been brought on by that very human quality in its most negative sense , namely one of the basic destructive forces within men –greed ?! Yep , the authors of this film should be immediately named presidents of Harvard Economics Departments for painting a completely real picture of 25year old brokers at a anonymous JT Marlin , where only one rule applies : from now on you are in the world of 'as if ': act as if you were a multi-billionaire,as if you had a 9 inch penis ' , as the sky is the limit , and those selected ,will earn their first million$ within a year , and how - by lying , by selling non-existing stock to 'suckers'or to 'the old and dumb ' .No level of shenanigans , subterfuge, pretense is shied upon , as long as the line is open , and hundreds , perhaps thousands , constantly fed by the Orwellian propaganda of joy , prosperity and progress are virtually standing in line to feed their primordial sin – avarice ! Even though this little known celluloid work of art , propelled with a proper amount of fiercest rap and ingenious shots of Big Apple-sorry , more like the most vicious image of Gotham City and its environs , ends on a bright note, the damage of this philosophy of no work – roof top returns are unfortunately seen today on every corner of the globe with the horrible prospects ahead. Superb acting by everyone , specially by G. Ribisi and V. Diesel and a film that must be shown as lesson number one at all Economics Departments around this planet . With Nobel prize winners for this arcane ' craft ' cum philosophy cum science-Economics in obligatory attendance !

Fmovies: Great movie, I really enjoyed the most of it except the ending. The producer got it right until that last 30 minutes or so. It lost pace and drama, and I was definitely not expecting the movie to end like that.I would have liked to see the policeman coming and rocking the boiler room. I would have also liked to see just how far Nia Long would have gone with her complicated love life. Great movie but pathetic ending !!!!

Boiler Room is basically about a young college drop-out, played by Giovanni Ribisi, who is seeking the quick way to the top. He starts an illegal gambling casino in his home, but is soon offered a job as a stock broker. This is a fast-paced occupation full of young guys who don't know what to do with their money. They gamble constantly, they party constantly; drugs, women and cars. On the surface, this is easily brushed off as a formulaic, pop-culture movie. If you pay attention though, this is a lot more than that. The subtext for this story is the relationship Ribisi has with his father. This relationship holds a lot of tension, and through the film goes through many changes both positive and negative, and culminates in a tear-jerking revelation. I'll admit it, I almost cried. But there is also a lot more going on here, most notably the story of one of Ribisi's clients who had domestic problems he had to face with his wife and children. His performance was impressive, and you really felt for him.

Boiler Room fmovies. The plot in Boiler Room is true to reality. A friend of mine was telling me about an outfit he used to work for in the 80's. Worked just like JT Marlin. They switched name three times in two years. My friend called people who lived far away so he wouldn't have to run into them at the grocery store.

The way the company keeps their brokers hungry is by encouraging excessive spending, such as luxury cars, so they have to make even more money to keep up with the lifestyle.

Boiler Room has a group of young actors that all play their parts well. Giovanni Ribisi makes a good appearance, and Nia Long needs to be in more movies.

Back in the old days what Giovanni Ribisi went to work at was euphemistically termed a 'bucket shop' and the practice of holding onto profits and never really paying except in select instances was referred to as 'bucketing'. The regulations put in during the New Deal curbed them somewhat, but the deregulation that occurred during the Reagan Years put operations like these back in business. That and telemarketing did the rest.

Our protagonist in this film is Giovanni Ribisi who's a kid that I can somewhat identify with, one who can't seem to please his rather stern father, Ron Rifkin, who also happens to be a federal judge. He'd like for Ribisi to get into traditional professions like law or medicine, but Ribisi is a child of his era and is on the lookout for a quick buck. That he gets from his current endeavor which is running a small casino out of his apartment. Though illegal Ribisi runs it honestly, but that fact makes no never mind to Rifkin.

One of his steady patrons, Nicky Katt, interests him in going to work at his brokerage house which is not located in the heart of Wall Street, but out on Long Island.

Gordon Gekko would be proud of this bunch, trained by Ben Affleck who lives the Gekko creed from Wall Street of 'greed is good'. But this crowd could never get in Michael Douglas's front door, remember what a hard time Charlie Sheen had in Wall Street. You've got your list of prospects, aka suckers, and you get on the phone and sell, Sell, SELL, but only what you want sold in a given period. The activity drives up the price and then it deflates, but not before the broker gives out. On Wall Street, it's called 'kiting' a stock.

Michael Douglas's Gordon Gekko takes us to the rarefied world of big time Wall Street corruption. These guys are the minor leagues of the same sport. Ribisi as he soon finds out was living more honorably as a casino entrepreneur. But he can't get out mainly because dad seems to have somewhat changed his attitude. And Rifkin's respect is all he wants.

Boiler Room works best during the scenes with Rifkin and Ribisi, their up and down relationship is the key to the whole film. Other performances to watch out for are Nia Long as the secretary clearing $80,000.00 a year because of her insider information, Vin Diesel as a cheery hedonistic sort of bucketeer, and Nicky Katt is a more intense variety of the same breed.

The one to really watch out for is Ben Affleck. It's a small part, but Affleck does wonders with it. Now this is a man who could really have made it Gekko's world and wouldn't have had the trouble that Charlie Sheen had crashing it or the conscience pangs after he discovers what it's all about. Affleck should have gotten Oscar consideration in the Supporting Actor category.

In fact the whole film is sadly overlooked, don't miss it if it is ever broadcast.

The large and well-selected cast turned in very powerful performances. They crafted a convincing range of emotions, from cunning cut-throat manipulators of their clients' personal wealth during office hours, to brief examples of their "boys will be boys" shenanigans after hours. The story line is built completely around their personal financial greed, the hapless victims they scammed to realize it (with the greatest focus on one of them), and a well-sustained sense of mystery that plants seeds of possibilities along the way. The ending was not at all predictable; it could have gone in any of several directions. The viewer gets the impression that if these predators could yank even the last remaining penny out of a client on his (they targeted males) deathbed, they'd gleefully do so and view it as a major coup giving them full bragging rights. There's a hint of information about how legitimate stockbrokers earn their credentials and that was enlightening. The romantic angles are minimalized and that serves to benefit the film. The language is consistently coarse, but certainly seemed realistic for the characters' ages, their business sector and their work ethic. For everyone who enjoyed "Glengarry Glen Ross," "Wall Street" (both of which are alluded to in the film), or even more appropriately "The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron," this feature will really score a bulls-eye.