Master of the Universe (2013)

How can you make it big in the world of banking? At the start of Master of the Universe it is former investment banker Rainer Voss who tells that you start out working lots of hours and not making waves by saying something shocking or political. When other people have formed an opinion about you and are willing to give you big assignment you have to be willing to sacrifice everything for the company. He compares it to working in the army. The fact that banking hasn’t got a positive image after the financial crisis is caused by the way it developed.

Voss tells his personal story and gives the viewer an idea about how a bank works and how that can result in situations where products are being sold that really aren’t understandable by most people and therefore mean lots of risks. It is a world where the technical economy is way ahead of the real world economy.

Against the backdrop of abandoned buildings of former banks and with shots of skylines and empty space Voss is telling his story. For those who have previously looked into the cause of the crisis he will confirm what they already know. Still it is interesting to hear the personal experience and the feelings he is struggling with after the fact. His work was everything to him, which often meant he chose not to give his family the attention they deserved. Even though Voss is very open and wants to get the viewer’s sympathy I’m sure not everyone will be willing to do so as he did make a lot of money doing what he did and is still driving a very nice car.

Master of the Universe isn’t a flashy documentary with beautiful infographics and lots of distractions. You will occasionally see some TV footage, but the main focus is Rainer Voss. Combined with lots of technical stories (which are explained fairly well) it is probably not a movie which will find a big audience, but for those who want to know more about the financial crisis and how it developed this documentary offers a nice view behind the scenes.