too big to fail Villain-free "Beside from a slightly irritable John Thain from Merrill Lynch (played by Matthew Modine) and an understandably cranky Dick Fuld (played by James Woods), there aren't any villains in the mix," observes Roya Wolverson at Time. "The bankers are at worst self-satisfied, while the government falls somewhere between pitifully overwhelmed and plainly naive. The result is a story without much added grit, which leaves a slew of deeper questions laid to waste." Among these unanswered questions, according to Wolverson: "What's wrong with a tight circle of people flowing between banks and government? And why has the Fed been so absent in regulating banks? For Ross Sorkin, who has been criticized for his cozy relationship to sources, these questions may already seem answered, or perhaps not worth the time. But the American public still feels in the dark."
"Damned if Fail doesn't whittle down the whole sorry story into a mostly understandable and efficient movie that everybody should watch," marvels the Hollywood Reporter's Tim Goodman. "And in a cast full of beautifully minimalist performances from superb actors, William Hurt gets to remind viewers who might have otherwise forgot just how great he can be." More than anything, Hurt's performance should give all audiences a renewed appreciation of the public sector. " You may not like or agree with Paulson," concedes Goodman, "but Hurt shows you how, in public service, the burden on keeping the country afloat took its toll."
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