A movie that explores the corruption of soul and mind, 99 Homes is about a young man who is evicted from his home—and then, desperate for employment, ends up working for the man who evicted him, doing the exact same thing to other people. Hypocrisy is a bitch.

And all of it could have been avoided had he just paid his bills in the first place.

Former Spider-Man Andrew Garfield delivers a great performance as Dennis Nash and Michael Shannon is equally impressive as Rick Carver, a largely soulless individual who sees profit in other people’s misery. Garfield handles the complexity of his role well, a character that could have easily slipped into unlikable territory in the wrong hands.

The movie plays out like a form of Wall Street, with Shannon playing a less charismatic but equally chilling version of Michael Douglas’s character. Mortgages and evictions aren’t quite as glamourous as multi-millionaire-dollar investments, sadly. Still, written and directed by Ramin Bahrani, the film is consistently engaging and fast paced, an intense drama with intense characters. Dennis’s career rise and moral descent is handled extremely well.

Ultimately, the film’s payoff isn’t as satisfying as you’d hope given the rest of the story, but 99 Homes is a well done drama that deserves a look.

Review by Erik Samdahl.