Specifically, Secretary of the Treasury Hank Paulsen is painted as having a great big unselfish S on his chest. I hate to parrot everyone else, but please watch "The Big Short" to see that everybody had blood on their hands.

HBO had to make SOMEBODY a hero in this, a film, not a documentary, so they chose Paulsen. In their version Paulsen is the somewhat naive guy who understands economics but does not understand human greed. The mechanics of what happened are well described. The dangers of what could have happened are well described. And there are several monologues where somebody - as part of conversation in a team meeting - explains how the big banks and investment houses got into this mess and then how AIG, the bank that insures the insurers, got swept up into everything.

The end of the film indicates that the big banks, with all of that fed supplied cash, just parked it and refused to loan it out - they were not required to do so - and the economy went into a downward spiral with hundreds of thousands losing their jobs and mortgage foreclosure becoming an epidemic.

I'd say the film is OK for grasping the basic mechanics of what went on, but understand it is a film and there has to be at least one hero - false or true - even if HBO is the producer and not Disney.

It's early 2008 and Lehman Brothers is falling. CEO Dick Fuld (James Woods) is stand-fast as he rejects an offer from Warren Buffett. He's not willing to sell low as he expects to weather the storm. A few months later, Lehman Brothers is collapsing. Secretary of the Treasury Hank Paulson (William Hurt),Chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke, and President of the New York Fed Tim Geithner among others are struggling to gather private interests to bail out the failing investment bank as the contagion spreads.

The actors are first rate. I assume the writing is well-researched. It's a relatively clear telling of the events. As a narrative, it does lack the tension of an unknown story and the clarity of one lead character. This is a good companion piece to other docs about the subject.

The financial crisis has made a splash in the film industry, ironically capitalizing on the failure of unregulated capitalism. There is also "Margin Call" and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps." I couldn't help think about the LIBOR scandal that is on the horizon as this film mentions the major players and Barclays.

This film goes behind the scenes to show the phone calls and board rooms as the drama unfolds. The all-star cast gave us a credible performance. The characters are introduced by displaying their name and company affiliation on the screen. I wish they had used some flashier fonts and maybe some grindhouse swagger music as they walked in to talk to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson (William Hurt) who is sometimes seen having breakfast with Fed Chair Ben Bernake played by Paul Giamatti.

Michele Davis (Cynthia Nixon) has to give a press conference and asks how to explain why AIG failed. At this point the movie comes together in one scene which explains the whole crisis in layman's terms and why mommies and kitties will die if AIG goes under...okay maybe not the last part, Ben Bernake does that later.

Billy Crudup plays Timothy Geithner the head of the NY Federal Reserve. His ideas and influence were instrumental in buying time for congress to act.

In looking toward Europe, they is a newer and scarier phrase: "Too big to save." This is a great film. I would also recommend the CNBC documentary "House of Cards."

PARENTAL GUIDE: No sex, no nudity, many F-bombs