The Wall Street/financial thriller is a subgenre typically dominated by men, very often telling stories about how amazing and awesome shady Wall Street banking can be, especially if you’re a dude. That’s all going to change though with Equity, a film that takes a look at the world of high profile investment bankers from the perspective of the tough, amoral women who slice throats right beside the men.
Equity stars Anna Gunn as Naomi Bishop, a senior investment banker who really enjoys her job. Bishop is brutal, balancing extreme power with the fact of her femininity – and the difficulties that presents in a male-dominated profession. But all is not well on Wall Street, and Bishop finds herself facing scandal and potential ruin after she’s passed over for a promotion. She finds herself facing an aggressive prosecutor, a controversial IPO, and the potential collapse of that very delicate balance that could take her right along with it.
While the trailer for Equity does not quite give the game away, it does highlight the tough world these women occupy, and the brutality with which they must maintain their positions. It looks like a financial thriller along the lines of Wall Street or The Wolf of Wall Street, but with the slight twist that it’s women trying to pull the strings. Gunn shines, rough, controlling, and apparently unlikable, not unlike some of the male characters we usually have to follows in films like this. Hopefully Equity will not just be a female version of a male film, but a strong entry into the subgenre in its own right.
Equity comes to theaters on July 29. You can watch the trailer below and see how you feel about this newest She-Wolf of Wall Street.