Boston, Sept. 12, 2017, — The movie Abacus: Small Enough to Jail will aired on WGBH 2 tonight at 10 PM. It is the story about a small bank owned by a Chinese American in NYC’s Chinatown.
Abacus, a small family-run bank, becomes the only U.S. bank to face criminal charges in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. The indictment and subsequent trial forces the Sung family to defend itself — and its bank’s legacy in the Chinatown community — over the course of a five-year legal battle.
Release date: May 19, 2017 (USA)
Director: Steve James
Box office: 80,527 USD
Cast: Neil Barofsky, Dave Lindorff, Chanterelle Sung, Vera Sung, MORE
Producers: Mark Mitten, Julie Goldman
Music composed by: Joshua Abrams, Josh Abrams
Critic Reviews
The film persuasively argues that any fraud at Abacus occurred at a low level, and that the bank dealt with it swiftly and properly. Full review
Ben Kenigsberg
The NYTimes
The NYTimes
If the film is, in fact, about a real-life George Bailey, the forces arrayed against him remain hidden behind a curtain. We have to guess about the nuts and bolts that are driving the central scandal. Full review
Owen Gleiberman
Variety
Variety
James presents a convincing narrative of a bank staff tainted by one bad apple, who operated without the knowledge of upper management.Full review
Pat Padua
Washington Post
Washington Post