Money Monster

It seems Hollywood is not a fan of the investment financial system this year as Money Monster follows January's particularly scathing The Big Short.

Jodie Foster's thriller is of a slightly different tack to McKay's true-life drama; Money Monster focuses on Jack O'Connell's Kyle Budwell who holds up a TV show offering financial advice because taking a tip from it lost him his life savings. This you know from the trailer and don't be alarmed as Foster gets straight to it: within the first 15 minutes Clooney's presenter has a gun to his head.

Without prior knowledge you start to wonder where this can go for the rest of the duration and there are occasions in the first half where things slump slightly (there's quite a lot of O'Connell wondering about the studio). Persist though as in the second half everything starts to unravel. Julia Roberts' (on excellent form) producer sniffs something suspicious about the unexplained crash in the market and suddenly we're into international conspiracy. Things then spin on their head and, without giving anything away you won't have seen, Budwell's character and motives become more sympathetic.

The star of the show here though, unsurprisingly, is Clooney. Always charismatic this is the perfect role for him as he goes from cheesy, smarmy presenter (an eminently watchable one at that) to investigator and conspiracy unraveller but in a wonderfully charming and boy-ish way (something Clooney has made his own throughout his career).

Foster, of course, is something of an expert in the thriller genre and you cling on for the ride until the gut-punching end. Another film (like Eye In The Sky, as well as the aforementioned Big Short) that leaves you with a sick taste in the mouth at the state of the world and endless debate for the way home. This is another must-see.

4 stars ****