Rogue Trader

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Rogue Trader

R

1999

1h 41m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

30%

Tomatometer

23 Reviews

52%

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5,000+ Ratings

This drama, based on a true story, follows Nick Leeson (Ewan McGregor), a young British man working at Barings, a major investment bank. Sent to Singapore and placed in a position of authority at the bank's branch there, Leeson takes advantage of the thriving Asian market to make risky trades. Before long, he's in over his head and tries to hide the losses. Fleeing the country with his beautiful wife, Lisa (Anna Friel), Leeson eventually has to face the consequences of his actions.

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Critics Consensus

Rogue Trader tells its headline-grabbing true story too late to really have much of an impact - and too clumsily to take advantage of Ewan McGregor's game performance.

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

Mar 11, 2015

Rogue Trader is a terrible waste of the talents of Ewan McGregor.

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Rebecca Thomas

BBC.com

Mar 11, 2015

Nick Leeson, as the tale goes, was the man who had everything -- intelligence, charm, dream wife and job -- and spectacularly lost it. Unfortunately, Rogue Trader fares little better.

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Keith Phipps

AV Club

Mar 11, 2015

Its plot alone is potentially fascinating, but as it stands, Rogue Trader remains notable only for the potential it squanders.

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Tom Cassidy

Common Sense Media

May 14, 2025

However, through the whirlwind trading floor sequences, viewers can get an understanding of how quickly fortunes can be made or broken and the real-world stakes at play.

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K F

@RT29864102 Dec 10, 2025

Incredibly disappointing--I wanted to know about this story and as excited when I saw it starred Ewan McGregor. Who knew McGregor could be boring?! Everything about this movies FLAT--the acting, the voices, the music, the dialogue. What's even worse is there isn't much to grab onto--there is no expansion on the financial trading gobbly-goop talk, so all the tension of "omg he's in deep trouble" is lost because if you don't understand the industry lingo or what exactly they are up to on the floor, an entire chunk of the film goes by where he's in trouble but you don't know until later until he actual says it. What a clunker of a movie.

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Steve D

@RT35616104 Jan 29, 2024

Really hard to care about any of it.

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Justin R

@Justin8ball Jan 29, 2024

It's a fairly entertaining drama and it's a shame this movie has almost been lost to time. I thought it was destined to be a cult classic. The cinematography isn't great and it feels like the lower budget movie that it is. You also get the feeling it isn't as taut as it should be and it falls short of other stock market classics like 'Wall Street' and 'The Big Short'. However, Ewan MacGregor delivers an engaging performance and it's very watchable.

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Shoriful S

@RT23888697 Jan 1, 2024

Loved it. I work in derivatives imo this is must see and then watch Trainspotting after

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Ęxçëşș M

@ExcessMale Aug 20, 2018

'Rogue Trader' is an unappreciated gem. It basically works as a biopic mainly focused on the final days of Nick Leeson's considerable employment. McGregor shines in this fun character study.

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Sep 25, 2016

This movie highlights how you can feel sorry for somebody who is clever, aimed to high, and became to proud to admit his mistake. It's down to McGregors likeableness that wins the audience over.

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James Dearden

Director

Ewan McGregor

Nick Leeson

Anna Friel

Lisa Leeson

Yves Beneyton

Pierre Beaumarchais

Betsy Brantley

Brenda Granger

Caroline Langrishe

Ash Lewis

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Synopsis

This drama, based on a true story, follows Nick Leeson (Ewan McGregor), a young British man working at Barings, a major investment bank. Sent to Singapore and placed in a position of authority at the bank's branch there, Leeson takes advantage of the thriving Asian market to make risky trades. Before long, he's in over his head and tries to hide the losses. Fleeing the country with his beautiful wife, Lisa (Anna Friel), Leeson eventually has to face the consequences of his actions.

Director: James Dearden
Producer: Janette Day, James Dearden, David Frost, Paul Raphael
Production Co: Buena Vista (Walt Disney)
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 15, 2018
Runtime: 1h 41m

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