Abacus: Small Enough to Jail

Released May 19, 2017

1h 30m

Documentary

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List

93%

72 Reviews

Tomatometer

85%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

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.

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Critics Consensus

Abacus: Small Enough to Jail transcends its less-than-dramatic trappings to present a gripping real-life legal thriller with far-reaching implications.

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Michael Phillips

Chicago Tribune

The personalities make the picture, and James' camera presence is such that "Abacus" never seems to gin up or theatricalize anyone's thoughts or behavior.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jan 25, 2018

Full Review

Tom Long

Detroit News

"Abacus" is probably the only film made in the past decade that could get an audience rooting for a bank, but it does just that.

Rated: B+

Jul 22, 2017

Full Review

Edward Porter

Times (UK)

When Steve James's documentary suggests that Abacus was the victim of a concerted Establishment plot... it doesn't have quite enough evidence for a conviction, but it is an absorbing study of the court case, the bank and Chinatown itself.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 11, 2017

Full Review

Jason Adams

The Film Experience

James doesn't mess around, aiming straight for our sentimental jugulars

Jul 2, 2021

Full Review

Aaron Pinkston

Battleship Pretension

Away from the case, the biggest joys of Abacus are seeing the Sung family together, around a conference room table or the dinner table alike. The way they interact with each other feels so familiar...

Jan 4, 2021

Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Abacus: Small Enough to Jail is an intelligent and involving doc feature.

Rated: 3.5/4.0

Sep 1, 2020

Full Review

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Alec B

The most interesting thing here is the way the narrative frames the fallout from the '08 Financial Crisis. The public's desire for justice coupled with an unwillingness on the part of the Government to go after those who were really responsible meant that somebody had to be offered as a sacrifice and obviously they targeted people who couldn't really fight back.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/05/24

Full Review

Audience Member

This doc, part of the superb PBS Frontline presentations, and directed by Steve James, gives us another infuriating example, at times, of the staggering hypocrisy of government prosecutors. Spending years and many millions of taxpayer dollars on building a mortgage fraud case against the family-owned Abacus Federal Savings Bank, in Chinatown, NYC. This, while giving the huge banks, "too big to fail" a $700 billion bailout for their fraudulent loan practices, costing the U.S. economy $22 trillion during the financial crisis beginning in 2008. Abacus Federal, the 2651st largest bank in America, with its "huge" network of 6 branches, still remains the only bank ever indicted as a result of the 2008 crisis. Yes, you can see the bank made some mistakes mostly in their compliance policies, but in the overall scheme of things it was trivial in comparison to what the giant financial institutions were doing. Overall, a most solid documentary which tried to present both sides' cases to the viewer.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A really good example of how to make a cohesive documentary that touches on so many aspects of a legal case and yet never loses its focus or feels superficial, becoming even quite touching and tense as we realize what is at stake for this family who needs to prove their innocence.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Overprosecution at its finest. Heartbreaking saga.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

While it brings nothing new to the table, "Abacus: Small Enough To Jail" is nonetheless a compelling documentation of a trial meant for the government to scapegoat a small bank for the more severe crimes of banks that are allegedly "too big to fail".

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

Full Review

s r

I want to go visit the bank next time I am in NYC. Despite its hints to try and tie this to the banking crisis, the true issue at risk comes out. Informative and well made narrative.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Abacus: Small Enough to Jail: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

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.

Director: Steve James
Producer: Raney Aronson, Christopher Clements, Sally Jo Fifer, Justine Nagan, Gordon Quinn, Betsy Steinberg
Distributor: PBS Distribution
Production Co: Kartemquin Films, Motto Pictures
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 19, 2017, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 13, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $111.8K
Runtime: 1h 30m

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