This film has various problems. One is that it really tells us nothing of note that we did not know from newspaper reports at the time. At least it was hot news then. By the time the film came out, it was old hat, and of course, we spend the whole film waiting for the crash and Leeson's arrest. There is no suspense and no plot of any interest.
The film might have made up for this if the characters had been interesting, or if they had somehow thrown light on the meaning of life. They don't. Being based on Leeson's own book means that everything is seen from his superficial angle. What really drove him, how he really got into this mess, we never really feel. McGregor does his best, mainly using facial expressions to gloss over what the script does not provide.
Anna Friel has a thankless role as his cardboard cutout wife. All the Barings characters are even more two-dimensional. When the real people are still around, I suppose you have to be very careful not to expose yourself to lawsuits. The result is blandness.
What's the point of this film?
The film might have made up for this if the characters had been interesting, or if they had somehow thrown light on the meaning of life. They don't. Being based on Leeson's own book means that everything is seen from his superficial angle. What really drove him, how he really got into this mess, we never really feel. McGregor does his best, mainly using facial expressions to gloss over what the script does not provide.
Anna Friel has a thankless role as his cardboard cutout wife. All the Barings characters are even more two-dimensional. When the real people are still around, I suppose you have to be very careful not to expose yourself to lawsuits. The result is blandness.
What's the point of this film?