Rogue Trader (DVD 2000)

I gave this five stars but for all the wrong reasons. The acting is terrible (overegg and cake both spring to mind). The mockney cockney accents are truely truely atrocious, especially Friels who could even make Jamie Oliver wince. Basically everything about this film smacks of desperately wanting to be high drama but actually being sub soap opera in quality. Okay the story is a good one, kind of, it certainly had far reaching consequences, but really it makes for an interesting newspaper article read not necessarily a film. And they even manage to make the plot overly complicated (I think I understand the financial markets but I managed to get totally lost via the garbled explanations given for the worsening situation Leeson found himself in). I chuckled my way through most of this even though it really isn't a comedy. There is inadvertent almost Pythonesque humor in spades in this film and the scene where McGregor is thumping a punch bag whilst dramatically muttering to himself about 'meeting his margin payments' is almost sublime. Watch Rogue Trader to enjoy seeing exactly how a film should not be made.

I bought this because, having spent my career in a merchant bank in the City, I was curious to learn about the incredible downfall of Baring's which was brought about by Nick Leeson, the "Rogue Trader" of the title. I found it so incredibly horrible (including the tedious use of the F word throughout the dialogue) that I knew I should never want to watch it again, and have in fact given it to a charity shop.

I thought i was buying an original DVD but it was a newspaper freebie which wasnt mentioned on the listing. It was listed as 'good condition' but was scratched. worked ok though. did mention this to the seller but got no reply.

This movie is very good. its put across very well to say it is basiced on a true story. I wouldn't say it was my favourate Ewan Mcgregor movie but I would reccomed anyone to give it a watch. Ewan is as good as he always is in all of his movies. Hes a very under rated actor. I bought it to add to my ever growing Ewan movie collection as I am a huge fan of his, marks out of 10 Id give it 6.

This is an interesting story of a failure in internal control and supervision by the Bank of England, the then regulatory body to save Baring bank from the trader Nick Leeson.

I am a student of finance majoring in derivatives and has been interested in learning all the details of this major financial scandal. though the DVD does not go in deatail length of the story it's a good dramatisation of most of the key event and has kept me alway reflecting on the whole development.

I like the DVD though i must say it was rather short and mainly covered the trival issues surrounding Nick Leeson and the Baring failure most of which are outside the interest of a finance professional.

Its worth keeping it and going through some of the highlights of the charater potrayed as nick leeson.

I recomend it for any practicing finance offer or Banker.

thank you