Rogue Trader
Rogue Trader is the 1999 drama about Nick Leeson (Ewan McGregor), a banker who’s reckless and unchecked trading leads to the demise of one of the world’s oldest banks.
Based on a true story, Leeson is a young, charming, intelligent man hell bent on making himself a financial success in the trading world. After years of being a clerk with Barings, they promote him to the head of the trading floor in Singapore. There, under heavy pressure from his superiors, he begins to make risky and illegal trades in an effort to cover his losses. The losses start small, but eventually grow to insurmountable amounts as his actions start to draw the ire from his employer and local authorities.
As with most stock trading movies, there’s a tough line in trying to explain the complexities of the market to an audience that will be novices. While you understand that Leeson is getting himself into trouble, you don’t quite understand how he is. There is no explanation for why his decisions have lost money and instead seem to simply focus on his emotions throughout. The film utilizes voiceover narratives by McGregor to express his current thoughts, but never utilizes this aspect to give a dumbed down explanation of exactly what he did do to cause the havoc.
In any case, the movie is gripping and the story seems to want to build compassion for the main character. What bothered me about this was that despite the emotional turmoil Leeson was going through, and perhaps his good intentions, he was still defrauding hundreds of millions of dollars from innocent people. There was just not enough emphasis put on that storyline, and you’re left trying to feel sorry for someone that you really shouldn’t.
McGregor is the star of the film and carries it from beginning to end. His dynamic range of emotions is evident throughout the picture as he brings the Nick Leeson character to life. Scenes where he is on the brink of breaking down show the immense pressure he’s under once the problem becomes too immense.
While the Leeson character is developed, those of his supporting cast are not. His fellow co-workers are empty while his bosses are portrayed as stereotypical ruthless, wine-sipping, old men. Anna Friel plays the role of Leeson’s wife. She starts off the movie as an intelligent businesswoman employed by Barings, but ends up coming across as unapologetically naive. She never seems to figure out that he is struggling, shrugs off his drunken antics, and gleefully provides him with love and support at every turn.
Rogue Trader is going to be a fun film for anyone who has a passion for the financial industry. For others, it’s going come across as dull. Films like Wall Street were able to turn the trading world into something exciting that everyone could enjoy, while Rogue Trader just misses the mark. In the end it’s an average film that is probably best suited for those with a passion for the stock market.
2 and a half stars out of 5
This movie was received in one day from Netflix.
