Boiler Room

In the movie ‘The Boiler Room’, nineteen-year-old Seth makes his income by running a casino in his apartment. Of course the casino is illegal and Seth’s dad is a judge, so when he discovers his son’s occupation, he hits the roof. Seth duly changes career and becomes a broker for an investment firm.
The 29-year-old director of ‘Boiler Room’, Ben Younger, clearly interviewed a number of brokers while writing the screenplay. The script flows with great authenticity and provides a lot of background on companies that promise to turn trainees into millionaires.
The film also stars Ben Affleck as a millionaire broker and Giovanni Ribisi plays Seth Davis, who also narrates the story. Seth quickly learns the ropes of the brokerage industry and swiftly separates many unwitting investors from their money, with promises of making a quick buck. Battling alongside Seth, in the phone wars for client dollars, are Chris, played by Vin Diesel and Greg, played by Nicky Katt.
The movie is fast and energetic and successfully manages to give a realistic impression of a brokerage firm. This is made even more so as Seth’s conflicted character is still shadowed by his father.

Added to the mix is the tension between Seth and his father and Seth’s love interest Abby, played by Nia Long.
Overall, the acting is adequate; the characters have depth and are interesting. Nevertheless, the ending is a bit exaggerated and busy, which makes it contrived with a couple of loose ends, which remain unexplained.