Inside Job is a 2010 American documentary film, directed by Charles Ferguson, about the late-2000s financial crisis. Ferguson, who began researching in 2008,[3] says the film is about "the systemic corruption of the United States by the financial services industry and the consequences of that systemic corruption",[4] amongst them conflicts of interest of academic research which led to improved disclosure standards by the American Economic Association.[5] In five parts, the film explores how changes in the policy environment and banking practices helped create the financial crisis.