Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Dirtylogy It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Married Baby Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

bretcarbone This documentary had me fuming. The Too Big to Fail Banks got off scot-free, and actually made money from the crisis they created. Meanwhile, a bank catering to a migrant community, who tries to do the right thing gets screwed by an overzealous, politically motivated DA.

rblenheim Steve James is a very famous documentarian who was robbed when his master work "Hoop Dreams" was inexplicably ignored by the Oscars in the Best Documentary Feature category in 1994. His later films included "Stevie", "The Interrupters" and the moving record of Roger Ebert's last days, "Life Itself". And now finally the film that brought James his first nomination for Best Documentary Feature. "Abacus: Small Enough to Jail" is an excellent documentary that centers on the Abacus Federal Savings Bank, a family-owned community bank in Manhattan's Chinatown which became the only bank to actually face criminal charges following the 2007 mortgage crisis - and only because it was deemed not 'too big to fail', an incredible injustice by the U.S. Justice Department merely looking for a scapegoat. But the film is not primarily socio-political; it is, in fact, a 'David vs. Goliath' story of the court battle of the Asian family's defense for their honor against the gigantic U.S. government, and, without shying away from showing the family's internal squabbles and moments of weakness, the film documents the difficult daily sacrifices necessary for them to stand up for their principles. Perhaps some will find this too much a 'standard' documentary, but I feel the story and characters interesting enough not to necessitate a stylistic 'hyping up', and, as is, the film perfectly captures its time and place while keeping us on the edge of our seats until the final verdict. Critic Matt Zoller praised the director for "finding the universal within the specific", and for the film creating a portrait of Chinatown as a thriving community that "defines itself in relation to...American culture... but never entirely comfortable or accepted." It is also an inspiring film of an immigrant family who struggles to survive through a conflict that they know is virtually impossible over which to prevail - but still they find they cannot submit to what they see as an injustice they did not come to America for. This is a film I truly loved. Don't miss it.

BasicLogic I only got one thought when I watched this film: Suppose your family didn't have that 10 million dollars, or suppose you've only got 8 millions, could you still afford to continue the lawsuit against the American bureaucratic system? Or suppose you didn't have enough financial backbone and your pocket was not deep enough, did it mean that you guys would still have been jailed? So this also means that if don't have enough money to fight in the court, you would have to plead guilty in the end, the injustice would never be overturned? So even you've been exonerated and proved to be innocent, what's next?

johnsonalg This film received a standing ovation at the Chicago International Film Festival. At the Q and A after the film the family was as genuine as in the movie. Not only is this a story about government picking on the small guy (small by banking standards) but also a nice movie about immigration and family values. The entire movie was shot while filmmaker Steve James (Hoop Dreams) was unaware if the family or bank would be found innocent or guilty of mortgage fraud. Unfortunately the court proceedings are represented by paintings and live audio, but you still get the feeling of being in the courtroom. Even a couple of jurors are interviewed. Do not expect to sit on the edge of your seat with anxiety but a very interesting, thoughtful film