MOVIE REVIEW: Equity

A female Banker is about to float one of the best Social Media companies out there but a previous loss is haunting her and her career, and you can add to that a devious boyfriend, an eager assistant, and a company CEO that won’t listen to the sound advice that she’s giving. Financial drama that goes into thriller mode in the second half.

I understand very little about finances, I know how much money is coming in and how much I have to put aside each week to cover the bills. The huge pay cheque that I get from Comic Crusaders every month covers my expenses, such as caviar and champagne for lunch every day, and also that limo to and from the screenings. I don’t know much about the world of Banking other than we got screwed eight or so years ago by money grabbing swine over money that didn’t actually exist, it was all in the mist of computerville. Earlier this year we got some insight into how the crash happened in the fantastic The Big Short, while not everything in the film got through to me, that part where Margot Robbie was in the bath tub made me realise I wanted to be either a bath or bubbles in that bath.

Here we see the ins and outs of how a company goes from being owned by the creators to being floated on the stock market. That’s about as much of the technical stuff I can tell you, so I will, with love in my heart, tell you about the story.

Naomi Bishop is a hard-edged Banker who has built herself up from nothing and made it in the world of banking. She’s good at her job but recently missed out on a deal that won’t go away. This deal is preventing her from getting the top job at the bank. So she goes in search of a bigger fish to bring to the share market. It’s a company that she helped get going years back and she’s got a relationship with the founder. Her assistant Erin is hot on her heels wanting to prove herself and move up the corporate ladder, however she’s just found out she’s pregnant, and her boyfriend isn’t happy that work is taking her attention away from the oncoming baby. Naomi has a boyfriend called Michael who works in the same company and they thread carefully with offering each other information on what they are working on, but it seems as though Michael is a naughty boy as he’s being investigated by Naomi’s old friend and now federal prosecutor Samantha.

The story is told through the three women mostly who are struggling to make it in what seems to still be a man’s world of finance. Michael is played by James Purefoy, from The Following, and it’s an okay role as one minute you feel he’s a good guy just wanting to help but then a switch goes off and he’s a villain. The main roles of Anna Gunn as Naomi, Sarah Megan Thomas as Erin, and Alysia Reiner as Samantha are what keeps your attention on the screen. Gunn is strong and hard as nails in one moment but the minute that the company that got away from her is mentioned she is lost in the past. Thomas is that eager young go getter that just wants to prove that she’s able to swim with the sharks. While Reiner plays the federal prosecutor who wants to nail Purefoy by exploiting any and all relationships. These three remarkable talented performers are the very backbone of this film.

While I was lost constantly throughout the film when they talked about financial things, I cared for the characters, which is half the battle. The scenes that build the thriller element of the film could have been stronger and more detailed. The mid section of the film dragged and the information heavy moments that I can only assume are based on real regulations are a little dull. But the drama and the thriller for me made this film a good watch, it’s not fantastic, it probably needed to be rewritten by Aaron Sorkin or at least have him give it the once over to make it more punchy. Worth a look if you are interested in finance and strong female lead films.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]