Most, if not all, of the financial movies featuring risky maneuvers by high powered bankers feature men in the lead roles (and most auxiliary roles). If nothing else, Equity was a nice change from that, with Breaking Bad's Anna Gunn playing Naomi Bishop, a senior investment banker with a checkered past. She has one last opportunity to land a deal which could secure her the promotion she has ruthlessly pushed for. What follows are the standard tropes of financial sector films: double crossing, shady deals, immoral banking practices, etc.
Because two of the films leads were women, they also sprinkled in a health dose of feminism: glass ceilings, disrespectful co-workers (and clients), and the troubling question of when to have a family balanced against an aggressive upward career arc. On paper, this seemed like a really interesting idea, but unfortunately, the movie just didn't pan out. While there were some significant weaknesses in the plot (Naomi, whose climb to the top was only possible by her crushing anyone in her way, was somehow blinded by the love she felt for a personal banker who was milking her for information), the biggest issue was that no one on the cast could carry the story. Anna Gunn was fine, but it needed someone with a more presence on camera who convey have a range of emotions (instead of Gunn's constant steely stare).
Still, there is room for gender parity in this particular genre of film, and it was worth the attempt. Hopefully, this will open the door for more, and better, films like this.
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