Professor Elam

Instead of the latest Tony Scott version, rent the original with Robert Shaw (Jaws, From Russia with Love) and Walter Mathau (yes that Walter Mathau, Out to Sea, The Odd Couple). The newer version has lots of camera motion and even more bad language whether needed or not. Interestingly the original was released in 1974, at the bottom of the stock market.  New York City indeed, was held hostage by its garbage worker union. Less than two years later, the City was broke.  The famous headline as Mayor Abe Beame begged for Federal help, President Ford to CIty, Drop Dead.  Those same scenes are now being played out all over the country and the world, no wonder this movie was re made.

The film has John Travolta making a bet that stocks will plunge and
gold soar on the hi jacking of a subway car and threats to kill the
passengers. However, it was more than a stretch that the stock market would plunge 450 points or that gold would go to, did I see $87,000?  surely not but again the Director was moving the camera more than necessary. I did mention in class that someone did buy near $2 M of puts on Bear Stearns nine days and $30 out of the money before Bear went broke, the bet paid 159x to one. Now that's a heist.

 It is not however a stretch to suppose that the planners of the 9/11 WTC attack did in fact buy puts on stocks, all over the world, in fact, I simply cannot imagine that someone as shrewd as bin Laden did not do that, financing his schemes for years into the future.