Money, these days, seems to be a rather unbecoming topic. Modern social consensus, fuelled and driven by an ever aggressive media, regularly holds those in a position of financial power with bitter contempt; as the villain of the piece. And often rightly so.
Well, if there was ever an on-screen embodiment needed of all of the nasty factors that have led to this loathing of the hyper rich, it couldn’t be delivered in any finer fettle than that of Michael Winterbottom’s charmingly rotten, ‘Greed’.
Amongst a minefield of British acting and writing talent, Steve Coogan plays (brilliantly), the fictional fashion and retail tycoon Sir Richard ‘Greedy’ McCreadie. The level of skin crawling activity employed by this billionaire behemoth is endless. Be it crassly disposing of Syrian refugees that impede the view of his private beach or cringingly reciting lines from ‘Gladiator’, the depths of this individual are as vast and uncharted as the ocean floor.
Following on from a publicly humiliating select committee appearance detailing his vile and neglectful business practices, McCreadie is on a mission to revamp and remodel his public image. His method of choice; staging a no holds barred private party on a Greek island, aiming to attract as much celebrity and press attention as possible.
Along for various levels of moral and practical support (and often just as a vessel for his epic and genuinely entertaining rants), are McCreadie’s disjointed band of family and followers. His mother Margaret (Shirley Henderson) gives us a clear insight into where his more mercenary traits come from. His glamorous ex-wife Isla Fisher represents the finer things in his life; yachts, beauty, property and the merciless drive to gain wealth at all costs.
Among the more nuanced characters is David Mitchell’s Nick, a journalist granted the thankless task of biographing McCreadie’s life story and somehow presenting it in a positive light. Nick provides some level of moral fulcrum to the story. For the larger part of the film he seems to be the only one displaying any active sign of discomfort towards the barbaric behaviour of those around him. He is the outsider who provides the audience with their most relatable lens through which to view this almost alien world of wealth.
Winterbottom’s means of showing us his story and character are as fast paced and lavish as his subject. Relentless flashbacks and montage can often become tiring in the display of a narrative. This is far from the truth in ‘Greed’ where the seedy rewinds into McCreadie’s rise to fame and success in the retail world of the eighties and nineties quickly become the highlight of the piece. They feel instantly recognisable, like classic newsreel items, whilst providing the backdrop for some of the films best (and most savage) dialogue. There are some great moments from a young McCreadie (played by a fantastically snotty Jamie Blackley) during his private school years.
Further real world recognition is provided in a plethora of celebrity cameos from the likes of Stephen Fry, Ben Stiller, Pixie Lott, Keira Knightley and, touchingly, Caroline Flack, to whom the film is dedicated.
‘Greed’ carries a certain sense of inevitability throughout its duration. Its grandiosity, characters and plot are reminiscent of the Greek Tragedies, surely an unspoken theme that is played on throughout. Whilst its assembly and execution are a long way from the level of legend that their spiritual predecessors possess, it would be hard to say that it is not an entertaining watch. Unfortunately it feels like it is trying a little too hard, a little too often.
Author: Joe, York store
