Director:Â Meera Menon
Cast: Anna Gunn,  James Purefoy,  Sarah Megan Thomas, Alysia Reiner,  Craig Bierko,  Margaret Colin,  Nate Corddry
Rating:Â 15
Running Time: 100 mins
Release Date:Â Â 02/09/2016
The financial world has become once again a magnet for Hollywood film-makers and it seems that the market has become a little overpopulated with similar tales of excess and greed. Still, it is a typical attribute of Hollywood that they will always go for the same type of film and genres to fulfil audience satisfaction.
EQUITY is the latest example of the greed-is-good mindset that has been an integral part of this type of drama for the past three decades or so.
Where this film should be applauded is for taking a primarily female lead cast and throwing female ideas and concerns into the ring. As a result it’s less THE BIG SHORT meets WOLF OF WALL STREET – and more MARGIN CALL meets WORKING GIRL (with a hint of THE SOCIAL NETWORK thrown in!)
Investment banker Naomi Bishop (Anna Gunn) is in the process of negotiating a big business deal with a social network-type company that prides itself on a solid firewall, even though concerns over this multi-million dollar deal hinges on whether the system is totally secure, something the CEO of the company, Ed (Samuel Roukin) is relaxed about overall.
Ambitious junior banker Erin Manning (Sarah Megan Thomas) works with Naomi and is charged with helping secure the deal, whilst in the background, Samantha (Alysia Reiner), a prosecuting attorney and a friend of Naomi, is also watching the deal with interest…..
Were it not for the profanity on evidence here, EQUITY might well have made a perfect diversion on Sky Atlantic or Channel 5. The big appeal is that it puts female protagonists in the driving seat compared to males in the likes of previous offerings like THE WOLF OF WALL STREET and the modern grandaddy of all of them , WALL STREET. It doesn’t make it any less riveting as a human drama and there are still moments in the mix that hold the attention, but the characters do seem to be a mirror image of their male counterparts in earlier examples. Still, EQUITY should be applauded nonetheless.
Performance wise, Gunn, Thomas (who holds a story credit as well for EQUITY) and Reiner are solid in their respective roles and James Purefoy and Craig (THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT) Bierko convey a sense of immoral detachment from the proceedings, preparing for the inevitable as the process of financial gain progresses towards it’s conclusion in the story.
EQUITY is skillful enough to realise the audience might not be au fait with the world of the financial markets and provides just enough leeway so that all the jargon and technicalities don’t get in the way of the storytelling.
The film’s big flaw is that it has come out a little late in the day in the shadow of the other examples, but it retains sufficient prowess to make an impact. Recommended.
Verdict
