ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the representation of the moral character of financial managers in the cinematic narrative, arguing that the lack of personal and institutional ethics has generated a loss of thickness in the represented characters. It sketches the ethical issues associated with the response of the bank to the situation they face and examines the place of ethics in the personal and social narrative of some of the key characters. Margin Call is a powerful drama that strikes close to the truth of the economic crisis that struck the global economy in 2008. It is a dark reminder of how easily characters can be drawn into an ethically corrupt downward spiral. It is a true tragedy in that no one escapes from the twisted logic in which all actions are aimed at extracting wealth wherever possible, and no characters have the moral or physical capabilities to positively transform the situation.
