Voila! Finally, the Rogue Trader
script is here for all you quotes spouting fans of the Ewan McGregor movie. This script is a transcript that was painstakingly
transcribed using the screenplay and/or viewings of Rogue Trader. I know, I know, I still need to get the cast names in there and I'll be eternally
tweaking it, so if you have any corrections, feel free to
drop me a line. You won't
hurt my feelings. Honest.
(newsreader) ..denied reports the British
banking system is about to collapse.
According to him, Barings' failure
is a unique situation,...
..which he blames on the actions
of a rogue trader in Singapore.
Estimates of potential losses range from
million to over one billion pounds.
(bulletin continues)
Leftfield: ''Open Up''
Look at that!
Will you fuckin' look at that!
- What, with the black guy?
- Yeah.
lt's a shame. She looks well spoken for.
Never know your luck, though. Eh, mate?
- Think l'll give her the treatment!
- No, Steve, no. Don't do that.
- No, you're all right.
- Don't do that. Steve. Steve!
Hello, love.
l've got something to show ya.
Are you out of your mind or what?
You fuckin' little prick!
And l mean little!
Don't judge a book
by its cover, sweetheart.
- You're out of your league, arsehole.
- Calm down.
Fuck off or you're dead!
- l want you out of here, now.
- He's really sorry.
He's pissed. He meant no disrespect.
That's the last thing on anybody's mind.
Tell him if he doesn't
put that thing away,...
..l'll rip it off and shove it
down his fuckin' throat!
Do your flies up, you fuckin' animal.
You almost gave me a heart attack.
- (cackles)
- Just leave it. lt's not worth it!
He's done it again. l had to pull him off!
Fuckin' right laugh!
Aagghh! Aagghh!
Nick! Nick!
You all right? Nick!
lt was thanks to Maggie Thatcher
opening up the City of London...
..that yours truly from Watford came to be
working for a posh outfit like Barings.
That was me lying on the floor,
if you hadn't guessed. Nick Leeson.
You've probably heard about me.
Barings was the oldest
private bank in the world.
They financed the Louisiana Purchase
back in eighteen hundred and something.
They even had the Queen as a customer!
l was just a humble clerk.
But not for long, l hoped.
Car crash.
l hit my head on the back
of the seat and broke my nose.
Everybody else was all right cos they
were wearing their, um... seat belts.
Poor chap!
Nick, l know you're keen to get out of the
back office and onto the trading floor,...
..but in the meantime
something else has come up.
We've got problems in our Jakarta office.
We need someone to go out there
and sort things out.
l thought that someone might be...
..Nick Leeson?
lndonesia was one of
the new ''tiger economies''...
..everyone was getting so excited about.
''Emerging markets''
they were calling them,...
..and Barings was one of the first
to see their potential.
The rewards were high.
But so were the risks.
One hundred million pounds...
..in bearer bonds.
As good as cash.
We could pick 'em up, walk out,...
..come to some arrangement
with laughing boy...
Customers refuse to pay for them.
They say what's on them
doesn't match the original deal.
The real reason: the market goes down,
they don't want any more.
lt's a mess.
You're absolutely per cent right,
Susi. lt's one hell of a fuckin' mess.
lt was my job to sort out
the certificates...
..so customers wouldn't have
any more excuses not to pay.
Until then, Barings had this bloody
great hole in their balance sheet.
lt was boring work,
but l knew if l made a success of it...
..then l could write my own ticket.
All the certificates
are in the right denomination.
l've sorted out all the documentation.
That's all in order now, so...
..all l need from you...
..is a cheque!
Hello. l'm Lisa.
l'm, um... Nick Leeson. Can l help you?
Barings sent me
to help with the settlements.
Didn't they tell you?
Oh, of course! l've been on at them for so
long l never thought they'd get round to it.
What do we do with that lot?
Build a bonfire?
l'd never even heard of Barings
before l started working for 'em.
lt's not like there's a Barings in Watford.
You're a hero in London. They think
the sun shines out of your arse.
Really? l was beginning to feel like
one of those Japanese soldiers.
Still stuck out in the jungle
years after the war!
What's it like here?
They tell me it's not safe at night.
Bollocks. The locals are great.
And it's not full of pompous ex-colonials
thinking they were born to rule the world.
That's what l love about Asia.
Anyone can make it.
Doesn't matter which school you went to.
When they told me l was going to
Jakarta l had to look it up on the map.
As a matter of fact, so did l.
l really want to be a trader.
lf Barings don't let me
on the floor after this, l'm off.
- Not gonna be bloody clerking all my life.
- Ooh! Ambitious, aren't we?
- ls that bad?
- lt's great.
l just want to get on in life.
l like to enjoy myself, don't get me wrong.
Work hard, play hard.
Well, l think this is me.
Well, night, Nick. That was fun.
- Yeah, it was, wasn't it?
- (door bleeps)
- OK. Night-night!
- See you tomorrow, then.
Lisa was a stunner all right.
Love at first sight.
Together we made short work
of the rest of those bonds.
Soon we cleared up most of Barings'
losses and it was time to go home.
See you later, Lisa.
Bye.
(laughs)
l think you'll agree that in Nick
Lisa has met her prince.
(guests) Hear! Hear!
Join me in wishing them well
in their new life in Singapore,...
..where Nick is to be general manager of
the trading floor. Whatever that means.
- lt impressed the hell out of me, but...
- (laughter)
And, um...
To you, Nick, l'm entrusting
the most precious of gifts.
l know you're gonna look after her
and cherish her...
..and all those other things.
And if you don't,...
..l'll break your bloody legs, all right?
(woman) He means it!
l love you so much, Lisa Leeson.
l love you too, Nick.
(cheering)
As a reward for Jakarta l'd been given the
far more important market of Singapore,...
..with a brief to set
up my own trading operation.
l was definitely on my way.
DJ Rap: ''Good To Be Alive''
- And the kitchen...
- This is your department, darling.
Since when? Cheeky!
And the bedroom...
- lf you need anything, call me.
- Right, thanks.
- Have a nice day.
- Thanks. Bye.
- Goodbye.
- (door shuts)
Not bad for a chancer from Watford, eh?
Well, um... l think we should
test out that mattress, big boy.
- Oh, yeah?
- Yeah!
(Lisa) Whoo!
l can't see any problem in you
handling both sides of the operation.
- At least until volumes increase.
- Right.
You shouldn't need more than two
on the trading floor.
A couple more in the back office.
No need to pay top dollar.
Get them young, get them hungry
and train them up.
- l'm a bottom line kind of guy, Nick.
- Absolutely. That's my philosophy.
l took him at his word.
My team were young, hungry...
..and they didn't have a clue.
A futures contract allows you to buy or
sell a specified amount of a commodity...
..at a specified price at a future date.
Right. Um...
lt's like, if l agree to sell you this cup
of cappuccino, which l don't yet own,...
..at cents a month from now...
lf l can buy the cappuccino at,
say, cents, l make a profit.
lf the price goes the other way
l have to pay more, and l lose.
lt's timing - buying and selling
at the right moment.
Sometimes espresso might be
the best deal, or salt, or pepper.
So, we're running a supermarket?
We're not buying and selling
anything real.
lt's just numbers - contracts
based on the value of the Nikkei,...
..the Tokyo stock market.
- Er, we do this for the bank?
- No, no, for the customers.
We are not allowed to trade
on behalf of the bank.
Be sure you remember that, all right?
Other dealers wear red jackets. All same.
Red is lucky Chinese colour.
Well, we want to stand out. We're a
new operation. We need to be noticed.
May be bad luck. Different colour.
Bollocks. We make our own luck.
Nick's right.
We're cool dudes, man. Whoo!
(Nick chuckles)
Barrett Strong:
''Money (That's What l Want)''
(roar of voices)
Fernando. Anything happening in Tokyo?
Nothin'. How's SlMEX?
Same here. No one's playin'.
and trading small.
and thin too.
here. There's a seller who wants
to trade in size. Shall l low-tick him?
Yeah. Flush him out.
- Squeeze the sucker.
- How many?
.
Buy them... now.
- Buy 'em!
- Filled!
We paid for .
Way to go, Nick! l sold at .
Fuck a duck! Just made quid.
Yes!
''Money'' continues
They were a good bunch
and they were keen to learn.
lt looked like a madhouse with
all the traders waving and shouting,...
..but it all made sense
once you got the hang of it.
There were hiccups,
but that's normal in any operation,...
..especially a new one like ours.
The important thing was
we were picking up the business...
..and the future looked rosy.
Nick, what's the difference between
initial margin and variation margin?
lnitial margin's a down payment
on each futures contract that we trade.
We don't pay in full
until a contract matures.
But in the meantime the value of
each contract may go up or down.
So SlMEX calculate our positions
on a daily basis.
They'll ask for more money if the market
goes against us. That's variation margin.
Got it. l think!
We need to open an errors account.
We've had a few mistakes.
l need somewhere to put them
till l can write them out.
Sure. What number shall l give it?
- Well, what's your lucky number?
- Eight. lt is a very lucky Chinese number.
And how many numbers do we need?
Five.
Then let's give it all the luck it can handle.
Call it the account.
And now it gives me great pleasure to
welcome the chairman of Barings Bank,...
..Peter Baring.
We may be the oldest
merchant bank in the world,...
..but that's no excuse for
not keeping up with the times.
When l became chairman,...
..l realised we couldn't go on running
Barings like a gentlemen's club.
We had to look beyond
our traditional recruiting grounds,...
..the old school tie,...
..to seek out a new and hungrier breed.
We're beginning to see the fruits
of those efforts, and l have to say,...
..the recovery in profitability, since
the reorganisation, has been... amazing.
To be frank, l've discovered
it's not actually terribly difficult...
..to make money
in the securities business!
Filled.
Yeah, you paid for .
- (knock on door)
- Come in.
Simon, er... l've got a slight problem.
One of the girls sold contracts
for Fuji Bank instead of buying.
l can't do anything about it till Monday.
What's the damage?
at the close.
Sack the cow.
She'll never work on SlMEX again.
That's a bit hard, isn't it?
Look, you handle it.
Have a word with London,
but make sure you make that client good.
All right.
Hey! Have a beer, shithead!
Cheers.
Hi, darling.
Anyone seen Kim?
She was here a minute ago.
Kim...
Nick, Nick...
l'm really sorry. l got so confused.
- Everybody was shouting all at once.
- That's the job.
That's what it's all about,
keeping a cool head.
l'm so sorry! l'll pay you back the money.
Sure, Kim. Four years' salary? And if
the market moves it could be even worse.
Come on, come on.
Come on, everyone makes mistakes.
Look, with a bit of luck l can
trade out of it on Monday, all right?
Nick, l've been waiting for you while
everyone else is having a good time.
- l'm going home now.
- Kim!
Kim...!
- Everything all right?
- Never better.
Why don't you let me come in and help?
l can't sit around all day doing nothing.
lt's not a problem, Lisa.
l can handle it.
Fernando, how are
March futures looking?
- l need contracts at Friday's price.
- You won't get Friday's price!
l should have closed off the position
and taken the loss.
lnstead, l waited for the market to
change.
lt changed all right,
but not the way l wanted.
Now l was stuck with a bigger loss than
l could own up to. And it was all my fault.
Nick! l hear your girl handed in her notice.
Never came back.
She couldn't stand the pace.
So much for loyalty!
- Did you make the client good?
- Of course. Made a small profit, actually.
Good man.
(softly) This one's for
the five eights account.
l bought the missing contracts.
?
- Shh!
- lt was only before.
And the market went the wrong way.
l had to cut the loss.
What did Simon Jones say?
Are you serious?
He'd shut us down if he knew.
lt'll be all right so long as we balance
the books by the end of the month.
- How?
- We trade on our own account...
..until we wipe out the losses, then
we use money from the client account...
..and pay it back with
next month's profits.
You mean, gamble?
(whispers) Relax, Bonnie.
That's all the market is.
One giant casino!
George!
l was counting on nobody looking at
the books until the end of each month.
As long as the five eights account had a
nil balance on the last day of the month,...
..no one would suspect
that anything was wrong.
But instead of winning back
the position we made more losses,...
..and l had to borrow more money
from the client account to hide them.
Fuckin' hell, George,
what are you playing at? Get fuckin' out!
Get fuckin' out! Now!
What the hell are you playing at?
Out! Get out!
Fuckin' hell!
- Agh.
- God, you're tense. Stiff as a board.
lf you only knew! All cos those bastards
won't let me hire proper staff.
- l thought it was going so well.
- lt is. lt's going brilliant.
l just spend most of my life
covering everybody else's arse.
Well, why don't you let me
help with the back office?
- l'm bored being a lady of leisure.
- No.
Why not? lt's ridiculous, you having
to handle trading and settlements.
You'll have a nervous breakdown.
l don't want you interfering.
l can handle it.
All right, keep your pants on!
No one's saying you can't.
l'm not going back to being
a bloody clerk. l'd rather be a plasterer.
My mum always used to say
l could be anything l wanted,...
..so long as l took my chances -
and worked like a dog.
Well, you have.
You've worked really hard and it paid off.
She'd have been so proud of you.
Do you really think so?
Yeah.
l know l am!
That was the worst part -
Lisa thinking l was this brilliant success.
lf she only knew
what a fuck-up l really was!
When l wanted the market
to go up, it went down.
lf l wanted it to go down, it went up.
lt was hard not to take it personally.
Nick?
Nick! l just worked out the balance
in the eights account.
- The losses are over $ million!
- Keep your fuckin' voice down!
Look, there's no need to panic.
There's not enough in the client account
to make margin payments, Nick.
(softly) Right.
l need dollars. l need dollars
to cover the initial margin payment!
l can get dollars from London to cover all
the client positions for the futures l buy!
Nothing unusual about that.
But l'm gonna need yen.
Gonna need yen to cover
the daily variation columns!
Which'll leave a yen deficit
by the end of the month.
Unless... unless l sell options.
That'll generate commission in yen.
And return the balance sheet
on the five eights account to zero!
As long as London kept sending out
money to finance the client positions,...
..l'd have enough cash to stay
on top of the margin payments.
lt was like robbing Peter to pay Paul,...
..but hopefully l'd end up making enough
to pay Peter back before he found out.
Meanwhile l had to generate more and
more business to justify my cash calls,...
..and for that l needed customers.
The bigger the better.
Mm-hm. Oui.
Bon, tres bien.
Mr Leeson.
- l'm Pierre Beaumarchais.
- Nice to meet you.
l work for the Geneva Banking Trust,
based in the Bahamas.
l was speaking with Ang Swee Tian,
president of SlMEX.
He's impressed by the amount of
business you've been generating.
- There's a lot of opportunities here.
- Oh, yes.
l do a lot of business on SlMEX.
With the exception of George Soros,...
..l probably trade in the Nikkei
more than anyone.
Sometimes over contracts in a day.
That is a lot.
The whole market only does about .
Could Barings handle
that amount of business?
You bet we could!
Beaumarchais was
the answer to my prayers.
l'd be able to siphon off
enough commission...
..to square the eights account
once and for all.
- Hello?
- Pierre Beaumarchais.
l want to buy June contracts.
l've... got a price of
but this'll move it.
Try not to pay more than .
We gotta get them cheap.
Beaumarchais is a big player.
lf we pull this off,
we get a shitload of business.
- What's liquidity like?
- Tight as a flea's arse.
We'll get away with
then the price will move up.
OK. But then we'll make the other
traders think we're sellers.
And when the price drops... buy! All right?
OK.
Sell !
Sell ! Sell !
Sell !
Sell ! Sell !
Sell ! Sell !
- Buy contracts!
- Sell !
Buy? Buy?
Buy at ! Buy at ! Buy at !
Buy at ! Buy at !
Buy at ! Buy at !
Buy at !
Buy at ! Buy at !
Filled!
Nobody saw us coming! We swooped
on the first like a Stealth bomber!
contracts!
Balls of steel, Fat Boy.
Balls of fuckin' steel!
Andy Williams:
''Can't Take My Eyes Off You''
At last my luck had changed.
Suddenly l couldn't stop making money.
l was long in the Nikkei - that meant
gambling on it going up - and up it went.
Up and up and up.
That's very good! Very good.
Serves you right, Lisa!
lf it went all the way up to l stood
to make a killing on the options l'd sold.
Come on, come on!
Come on, baby, you can do it. Come on.
- Yes!
- Yes!
Bonnie, we're on a fuckin' roll!
Yes!
Do you think we'll do it?
(bell rings)
lt's amazing!
You've made back all the losses.
- Over $ million.
- What did l tell you? Oh, ye of little faith!
You keep doubling up,
and sooner or later...
..you're bound to win.
''Jingle Bells''
The Nikkei has closed up
for the third day in a row,...
..and the rally shows little sign
of running out of steam.
Analysts are predicting
additional gains in the days ahead.
(bulletin continues)
- Happy?
- Yeah. Are you?
Never better.
l have been sailing a bit close to the wind.
l didn't want to worry you with it.
- What do you mean?
- No, it's all right.
The market turned round and a whole
load of my positions came good.
l made it all back.
What are you on about, Nick?
Don't get your knickers in a twist, but we
made mistakes and ran up some losses.
l went out on a limb
to get back the position.
How big were the losses?
- lt's about a million.
- A million quid?!
For God's sake, Nick!
No, it's all right. lt paid off.
l squared it up.
l had to do it to protect the guys.
Promise me that you'll
never do that again.
- lt's not worth it, Nick.
- l promise.
You will give me a heart attack.
(they laugh)
- Merry Christmas.
- Merry Christmas.
(cheering)
Fuck off!
l really meant it. l was the number one
trader, and as the new year came in...
..l was determined to kick
my addiction to the eights account.
What will the market do? Long-term?
No one thinks long-term,
they think nanoseconds!
- Long-term's tomorrow morning.
- Tomorrow, then.
- That would be telling.
- Leeson speaks, the market moves!
You said it, mate.
Pierre.
l want to sell the call options
and buy the calls in December.
l've got an offer of . for size.
Can you do better?
l'll get back to you.
Quick as you can, Nick.
l have to move fast.
Oui, oui, je suis toujours la.
What the hell is he on about,
. for size?
The market in calls is down.
He wants to cut his losses.
- Yeah, but why . ?
- lt's a ratio.
The calls are trading at , .
Divide by , you get . .
All right. But not . .
Unless someone's offered him a discount.
Probably Societe Generale.
We can't let those wankers
get our biggest client.
- What are you gonna do?
- Just have to leg it.
Buy the contracts from Pierre
and sell them when the market rises?
l thought we were not supposed
to trade for the bank.
Pierre? l can do it. What's the exact size?
? All right, leave it with me.
No problem.
What if the market doesn't rise, uh?
What if it falls?
l've gambled and won before.
l can gamble and win again.
Balls of steel, me old mateys,
and you'd better believe it.
Bonnie, l need you to
reopen the eights account.
We got caned on
Beaumarchais' contracts.
Now the bastard's gone back
to Societe Generale.
Fax Brenda Granger in London. Ask her
for funds to cover the margin payments.
Tell her it's for client positions.
- (internal phone)
- Hello?
lt's Simon.
Can you come into my office?
Right away.
Christ, l'd been rumbled!
The only surprise was it'd taken so long.
What was l gonna tell Lisa?
She'd bloody murder me.
- (knock on door)
- Come in.
Congratulations, Nick.
The ' bonuses are in,
and you're down for grand.
? That's fantastic!
Your little operation generated profits of
over million last year. You're a star!
ln fact, your figures are so high
they're going to check up on you.
Check up on me?
They're sending Ash Lewis out
for the audit.
Don't worry. lt's purely routine.
Ash Lewis?
She's meant to be
a right ball-breaker, isn't she?
That's our booth.
Filled! You paid .
Hi, Nick.
Ron Baker and Ash Lewis.
Ron is head of Derivatives Trading
in London.
Which l guess makes me your boss, Nick.
- How do you, Mr Leeson?
- Very well, thank you.
OK. Let's see the action!
Henry!
(Baker) Who's doing all the business?
We're the biggest, right?
We do a lot of arbitrage,
so we do have a high volume.
We signal orders in to George
in the pit - this is Henry -
..and at the end of the day the girls in the
office log all the deals on to the computer.
(Lewis) You manage the trading floor
and the settlements office, is that right?
Yes, yes.
That's a little unusual. Whatever
happened to checks and balances?
- That's something we need to talk about.
- l'll be here for three weeks.
This is going to be a thoroughly
comprehensive audit. No stone unturned.
Absolutely. Anything l can do to help,
any stone needs turning, let me know.
Are we filled? Good man, Henry.
Nice to see you, Simon.
Dad's seen this flat in Blackheath.
Needs a bit of work, but him
and my granddad can fix it up.
Think of it like an insurance policy
in case you get sacked,...
..have to go back to England
and work as a plasterer! (laughs)
What's up with you, misery-guts?
What would you do, Lise?
What would you do if l did get the elbow?
You've just been given
a ruddy great big bonus.
But what if it all went wrong? What if
l'm not as clever as everyone thinks?
Oh, of course you are!
Anyway, it's you l love.
l don't give a toss about the money.
lf it was up to me we'd jack it all in now,
go back to England and start a family.
You're doing brilliantly, Nick.
You're a bloody star.
- Nick!
- (softly) Fuck!
Simon!
- You're looking disgustingly chirpy.
- Haven't you heard? Panic over.
- Ash has been called back to London.
- You're kidding. Why?
Office politics. Some turf battle
between Futures and Securities.
- And what about the audit?
- They'll send Mark Taylor and Chris Carr.
Compared to Ash
they're a couple of pussies.
Pity. l was rather looking forward to
seeing the dreaded Ash Lewis in action!
(whispers) Yes!
No, l'm just leaving now.
l'm gonna jump in the shower.
lf you get home first, put the oven on.
- All right, sweetheart. l'll see you then.
- Bye, darling.
(cackles)
- Get in, you bastard!
- What the fuck is that?
Sex on wheels.
lt's a Porsche, moron! Get in!
l'll tell you what it is.
lt's disgustin'.
l'll tell you what it is.
lt's a great big hard-on!
Got to think of something
to do with my bonus.
You keep your eyes on the road,
you flash git!
Jerry Lee Lewis: ''Great Balls Of Fire''
Whoo!
- lt's a fuckin' one-way street, George.
- Whoops!
Goodness, gracious, great balls of steel!
- Whoo!
- Fuckin' George!
Shit! There's that Reuters journalist.
Nick! Nick!
He's been bugging me
for weeks for an interview.
- Hey, Nick!
- All right, mate?
Nick, my man. What'll you have?
Oh, a beer, please. You know
George Seow, one of my dealers?
This is Danny
from lntercontinental Trading.
- Just been sent from the London office.
- Nice to meet you. Heard a lot about you.
l hear Barings have almost cornered
the market here, thanks to you.
The rumours have been
greatly exaggerated.
Don't be so modest.
He's king of the exchange! Barings got an
award for all the business he's generated.
- Do you want a beer?
- l'd love a beer.
Aagghh!
(canned laughter)
(shouting, laughter)
(music, drunken shouting)
(Nick) Watch the Drambuie settle.
And it's called depth charge.
lt's guaranteed to blow
your fuckin' head off.
Are you ready?
Let's do it. Let's have it.
One!
And two!
And three!
- Bottoms up!
- Bottoms up!
Hey! Pretty women!
What are you waiting for?
Come on!
- Come on!
- Tough shit, George.
Your charm's just not working tonight.
Stuck-up bitches!
- l bet they're Singapore air hostesses.
- Flight lieutenants, if you don't mind!
Chocks away!
Flight lieutenants...!
Help 'em to decide if they wanna come in
or if they don't wanna come in.
Let's give 'em a hand and moon 'em!
That should help 'em decide.
Come on, don't be shy!
Your mother wasn't!
l love this man.
- On three?
- lt worked before.
lt could work again. One...
Two! Three!
Bottoms up!
That is disgusting!
Whoo!
(Danny) What'll it be, you old bastard?
Absolutely brilliant, Nick!
Drinks are on me.
Enough depth charges
to sink a battleship!
- Fuck, what time is it?
- l don't know.
Got to phone Lisa.
Oh, you've got to be jokin'!
No laughing matter.
Outraging a lady's modesty...
very serious crime in Singapore.
News of my disgrace reached London.
At the highest level.
lt's slightly embarrassing,
but one of our traders got drunk...
..and pulled a moon.
What did you say?
He exposed his bottom.
(laughter)
- Why?
- Playing silly buggers, l expect.
Unfortunately, the law over there
takes rather a dim view.
Maybe we should sack him.
Sacking him would be...
awkward, to say the least.
He generates a significant amount
of our profits in Southeast Asia.
l, er... ought to mention we're getting
stick from the Bank of England...
..about our funding over there.
Technically we're in breach of regulations
on the ratio of lending to capital.
Would you like me to have
a quiet word in their ear?
Oh, we're not quite there yet.
When l spoke to Andy Dixon
at the Bank, he said the matter was...
..''buried reasonably deep in his in-tray''.
Just flagging a concern.
Quite right. lt's something
we should keep an eye on.
Well... is that it? Any other business?
Well, what about this chap Leeson?
He of the exhibitionist tendencies.
l suppose it's something we should
leave to the Singapore authorities.
l have to say... l'm inclined to agree.
So, it was the profits that saved me.
lf they only knew!
Nick!
That guy from Reuters again.
The second time today.
Tell him l've...
Oh, fuck it! Gimme the phone.
Print me up a balance
on the eights account.
Hi, Loy.
Nick! You're a hard man to pin down.
You know how it is.
What can l do you for?
- Quite a position you've been buying.
- We're happy.
l don't know how the client
wants to play it.
Who is this mystery client, Nick?
He must have rather large balls.
l'm sorry, mate.
Client confidentiality and all that.
ls it Pierre Beaumarchais?
Sorry, Loy, l... gotta go.
l'll speak to you later.
Speak to you some other time.
Jesus Christ, Bonnie. lt's . billion yen!
- Do you want the dollar amount? lt's...
- Yeah, yeah, $ . million.
Book me the following notional trade.
Selling , December ,
put options at a price of... .
Then print me a new report after that
entry so it shows . billion yen...
- ..as if it was owing to us from SlMEX.
- Sure, Nick.
Then fax Brenda Granger in London,
asking for more funds.
Say we've had a large margin call
on our client positions.
How much?
A million.
Make it two.
(phone rings)
- Nick!
- Mm?
Nick, it's the phone.
- Hello?
- (Baker) l'm not disturbing you, am l?
lt's am.
Oh, Christ. Sorry, mate. Had no idea.
The old farts are getting nervous. They
want you to unwind the position a little.
That's easier said than done. Don't want
to send the wrong signal to the market.
Yeah, yeah.
Second, we need another million profit
by next month to secure our bonuses.
Two million? Ron, what planet
do you live on, mate?
One minute you want me
to unwind the positions...
Failure is not an option, mate.
See you at the junket in London
in three weeks' time.
million?
Who do they think l am, George Soros?
We were close to the end of another year
and l was deeper in the shit than ever.
Barings wanted me to speak at their
annual group conference in London.
l was their star trader, and they wanted
to know the secrets of my success.
lt didn't bear thinking about.
(TV on low)
- ls Nan staying with Auntie Karen?
- Yeah.
- lt's the best place she could be.
- Aww, poor thing.
(phone rings)
- Has she been crying?
- Mm.
Has she?
Hello?
Nick! lt's for you.
Ron Baker.
Ron! Can't believe you
tracked me down already.
Listen, with this conference you'll be
away from the trading floor a long time.
l had to come back a week early
for this funeral.
- l told you, Lisa's granddad passed away.
- l'm sorry about that, mate,...
..but l'm fighting for your bonus.
You need to keep up those profits.
- l couldn't miss this funeral.
- No one's asking you to!
l'll issue you a pass so you can come in
on Sunday and trade through the night.
You won't miss a thing!
Get out the fuckin' way!
lf he's working this hard
he's going to need his food.
He wants me to go into the office
on Sunday night and trade.
Well... no!
That's completely out of order.
Let someone else make the profits!
She's right, Nick. You're not a machine.
lt's bonus time. lf l don't deliver,
then everybody loses out.
lt's not fair, Nick. You carry on at this rate,
you're gonna be in a right old state.
lt's gonna be your funeral next.
For as much as it hath
pleased almighty God...
..of his great mercy to take unto himself...
..the soul of our dear brother
here departed,...
..we therefore commit
his body to the ground.
Earth to earth, ashes to ashes,...
..dust to dust.
Good to see you, son.
Sorry occasion, but there you go.
- He had a good innings.
- That's the main thing.
So how's it going over there?
- Can't complain.
- We're all proud of you.
- What you've achieved.
- lt's no big deal.
Don't be so bloody modest!
You a plasterer's son!
l just wish your mum
could have been here to see it.
So do l.
(voice breaks)
l'll try not to let you all down, Dad.
- What did you say?
- lt's OK, it's just jet lag.
Don't pay any attention to me.
(lift pings)
l felt sick going into the office,...
..seeing all the people
l'd been avoiding for months.
lt was one thing to con people over the
phone, quite another to do it to their face.
Nick? That's you, isn't it?
Nick Leeson? l heard you were coming
in.
You haven't the vaguest idea
who l am, have you?
Brenda?
- Of course. l'm sorry. How are you?
- So l finally get to put a face to the voice!
- My God, you are so young!
- Well, ageing rapidly, l'm afraid.
Can you come into my office? l really do
need to talk to you about the figures.
l'm meeting Peter Norris in three minutes.
Oh. Well, do come in right after, OK?
Nobody out there can answer
our questions but you.
And they just asked for
another ton of funding.
- All right. This one?
- Yeah.
Brenda was my cash lifeline.
She was the last person l wanted
asking awkward questions.
But first l had to deal with Peter Norris.
He's such a red-hot trader
l'm having him come in overnight!
Are you really?
You can't keep Nick away from the floor.
He's the key man in Singapore.
Sounds like you're the key man in Asia.
He's insane! You should see
how he takes that market on.
- Are you enjoying yourself?
- Yes, it's all right.
(both) ''All right''?
(they laugh)
Now, we need to talk about merging the
sales areas in Asia. Nick has some views.
lf we can replicate his success
in Hong Kong and Tokyo...
What do you think, Nick?
lt does make a lot of sense to merge.
There would need to be
controls, of course,...
..but the trading books can be used to
supplement a customer's requirements...
..and increase information flows.
Synergetically.
Exactly. Synergy.
So you see, Peter, Nick agrees.
And he's been very successful
with his customers. They love him!
Yes, excellent.
Well, keep up the good work,...
..and Ron, you sort out
what you want with this merger.
Now, gentlemen, l really have to...
- Good to meet you.
- Nice to meet you. Cheers.
l think that went well.
He seemed to go for the merger idea.
- Oh, he did. He really went for it!
- This'll be good for you too, Nick.
They'll give you some kind of
fancy new title! (chuckles)
Uh... Nick!
Nick!
Ron!
Being good...
..is not good enough!
Everyone must be connected to
our strategy, or we will find you...
..and weed you out!
lnformation arbitrage is our business.
lf you don't know what an
information curve is, then find out!
Position yourself in an information curve.
Dominate the curve!
Nick Leeson, who most of you know
and all of you have heard of,...
..runs our operation in Singapore,...
..which l want all of you to try to emulate.
Now, you'll hear later from Nick
about how he does it,...
..but l just want to
drive home to you guys...
..that if you could all think about Nick...
..and perhaps come up with ideas
to follow his footsteps,...
..Barings will become...
..one of the most successful operations
in the derivatives business.
(retches)
Oh, fuck!
Oh, we are gonna make so much money!
But more to the point,...
..you are gonna make...
..so...
..much...
..money.
Oh, Nick!
Nick... wake up.
- Lisa...
- We're meant to be going to the dinner!
l can't. l can't face it.
l can't take it any more.
l'm not going back after Christmas.
You can't make me.
What?! You're sitting next to
Peter Norris in the seat of honour!
Don't tell me you missed
your presentation too.
- l've been drinkin'.
- l never would have guessed(!)
l think it's downright rude.
You can't let everybody down.
You don't understand, Lisa.
l'm sitting on a fuckin' volcano.
l can't go back!
And what about your bonus?
Now, stop babblin'
and get yourself dressed!
l'll give you volcano, Nick Leeson -
right up your bum!
Lisa... oi!
ln you go! You stink!
- Oh, Lisa...
- (cackles)
You bitch!
- l'm gonna kill you now!
- Look at you! What a disgusting sight!
Aagh, no, you're gonna
get me all wet, Nick!
Oh!
(Lisa laughs)
Nick. You've got to get dressed. Stop.
You've got to get dressed! (laughs)
Promise me you'll always love me, Lisa.
That whatever happens,
you'll always love me.
Oh, of course l will!
You're my man, aren't you?
lt was crazy going back. l couldn't hope
to survive the end-of-year audit.
There was that little matter
of the . billion yen...
..which l'd fabricated to plug
the hole in the five eights account.
l should have told Lisa
when l had the chance,...
..but this voice kept telling me...
..l'd traded out of losses before -
l could trade out of them again.
What's this letter all about?
Well, it's from SlMEX.
Yes, l know it's from SlMEX.
lt came while you were away.
''lt appears that you have
financed the trading positions...
..held by sub-account .''
''lf this is the case
you have violated SlMEX Rule ...
..which bans members from financing
the trading margins of their customers.''
They're just banging on about
our intra-day funding limits.
Well, what is sub-account anyway?
lt's a customer account.
We have umpteen trading accounts.
l'd have to look into it.
We're the number one trader,
and they're tying us up in red tape.
Anyone would think
they didn't want us to trade.
Er... l'll draft an answer for you.
Yeah, do that, will you?
Get it on my desk by the morning.
Of course, Simon.
Lisa?
Lisa?
Lisa, what are you doing?
l'm bleeding, Nick!
(siren)
Why didn't you tell me?
Cos l was waiting till l was sure!
- You're not angry with me, are you?
- Of course l'm not angry, my love.
- You want the baby, don't you?
- l really want the baby.
l want lots and lots of babies. All right?
(whimpers) Yeah.
Your wife is OK...
l'm afraid she's lost the baby.
l'm sorry.
(roar of voices from the floor)
That was the turning point.
That was when l decided
l couldn't stand around any longer...
..hoping the market
would move in my favour.
l was gonna have to make it move.
l didn't care how much money it took.
l was gonna go for broke.
The man is single-handedly generating
a fifth of the group's worldwide profits!
l know. But $ million in margin
payments? For one day's trading?
You don't seem to understand.
The volumes are enormous!
Nick's guy is the biggest
player on SlMEX!
(phone rings)
- Hello?
- Nick.
lt's Brenda.
Listen, buddy. This is putting
a terrible strain on our borrowing.
Tony Hawes is all over me
about your cash calls.
l hear you. But London is
the cash cow for the business here.
We just don't have access
to any other funds.
lf you keep hassling me
l've a good mind to stop trading.
No, no, Nick. lt's OK. Listen...
Just get back to me with
some meaningful figures, OK?
(whispers) Fuck off.
(phone rings)
Hello?
Thank goodness l caught you.
l know Brenda's giving you a hard time...
l don't think any of you understand
how it works out here.
You may be right, mate.
Anyway, consider it sorted.
But you are gonna have to start
reducing these positions.
Well, Ron, l'll see
what l can do, all right?
While l've got you, about your bonus...
The budget's tight. Though you've been
exceptional there's not much to go round.
l thought we had a record year!
Yeah. That said, l've put in a special plea
to Peter and he's agreed to go up to .
? That's ridiculous!
l'm really pushing out
the boat for you, mate.
l'm busting my balls here.
l made us the top house in SlMEX.
We even got that award
for all the business we're doing!
Yeah, l know that, Nick.
Look, l'll see what l can do.
l'll see if it can't start with a four, eh?
(splashing from bathroom)
That was their opening offer.
He'd have thought something was wrong
if l'd accepted it straight away.
Yeah, it's like winning the lottery.
They must think the world of you.
What's the matter, Lisa?
What do you think's
the bloody matter, Nick?
Everything's changed!
l just wanna go home.
Get the hell out of here and go home.
But... you wanted to come back.
What about the bonus?
Well, can't you get the bonus in London?
Please, Nick! l wanna get on with my life.
l wanna start a family.
l'm going stir-crazy here all on my own!
Calm down. Look, l just need a bit more
time to sort things out, turn things around.
No! You're up at dawn and then you come
back at night and collapse into bed...
How am l meant to get pregnant again
if we never make love?
l know. But this could set us up for life!
- When's bonus day?
- th of February. Just five weeks to go.
Right, we're gonna leave on the th.
l mean it. l'm calling
the furniture removers tomorrow.
All right.
All right.
With everything else closing in on me,
l'd forgotten about the mooning charge.
When it finally came up,
l was facing a possible jail sentence.
The charge has been reduced
to a misdemeanour.
The maximum penalty is a $ fine.
l think we should plead guilty.
Thank you very much.
lt was uncanny.
l'd got away with it again!
To the Singapore legal system,
a shining example to the free world!
We bared our all for Barings.
Bearer bonds takes on
a whole new meaning after this!
(phone rings)
Talk about a bear market!
Hello? Mooners Anonymous.
This is Wei Wei from
Coopers & Lybrand. ls that Nick?
Speaking.
l'm compiling the end-of-year audit. There
seems to be a big hole in the accounts.
l'm missing the . billion yen...
..receivable from SlMEX.
Nick, can you hear me?
ls everything all right?
lt's a little complicated.
What do you need?
l can't find any paperwork.
lt was an over-the-counter trade
between Speer, Leads and Kellagg...
..and Barings London.
lt fell through the computer system.
l'll have a word with
the systems manager.
l need three bits of paper.
One: confirmation from SLK
that the . billion yen will be paid.
Two: sight of your bank balance
to show it's been received.
And three: a note from Ron Baker saying
he's aware of the deal and approves it.
(line goes dead)
Well?
Oh, it's just a computer glitch.
They're doing their annual audit.
(laughs)
And so, with scissors and paste,
l created $ million out of thin air.
This was forgery, pure and simple,...
..and there was no going back.
- Nick!
- Simon.
Jesus, you almost gave me a heart attack!
- What's this missing seven billion yen?
- Oh, that's a nightmare.
lt's an OTC trade
that was incorrectly booked.
The auditors are really
on my case about it.
lt's a pain in the arse,
but we've got to get it sorted.
The point is, we're owed
the money by SLK.
Who the hell are SLK?
Speer, Leads and Kellagg.
lt's a brokerage house.
Better send me a memo as soon as.
Get these auditors off my back.
Sure, Simon. Don't worry, l'm onto it.
(phone rings)
Bonnie, it's Nick. Listen.
Listen very carefully.
Transfer . billion yen from the client
account to the house account tomorrow.
But it won't go!
There isn't enough money.
l know that, but then you can reverse it.
lt's just an electronic transaction.
But l want the transfer done.
And l want the bank...
..to send us a fax of the statement,
showing the . billion yen credit.
All right, Nick. lf you say so.
Cheers, Bonnie.
Nick?
What's all this about seven billion yen?
Someone from London, Tony Hawes,
was looking for you.
Jesus Christ, if l hear any more
about this seven billion yen...
lt's about $ million, innit?
What do you reckon? Red or blue?
You think l just walked off
with $ million?
l didn't say that.
lt's a computer error.
You need someone in the back office,
l told you. You're not bloomin' Superman!
Don't start all that again.
lt wouldn't have happened
if l'd been there.
Right. l'm goin' out.
- Where are you going?
- To get pissed.
lf anyone calls, tell 'em
l've gone to South America.
Well, you can bloody stay there, then!
Twat!
(key in door)
What have you done now, Leeson?
What have you done now?
- (knock on door)
- Come in.
l thought you'd like to know
the audit's been cleared.
- Nick sent the papers. Everyone's happy.
- Thanks, Ron.
Technically we've breached SlMEX rules,
but it was just a non-transaction.
With any luck...
..the auditors won't mention it, or we may
have problems with the local regulator.
Sounds sensible.
Do you know, Nick made $ million
doing arbitrage in a week?
That's about...
half a billion dollars a year.
The guy's a turbo arbitrageur!
lf he's doing that amount of business
for that amount of profit,...
..why don't we shut down the rest
of the bank? We're just overhead.
Yeah!
(phone rings)
- Hello?
- Nick,...
..are you avoiding me?
l've been trying you for days.
Sorry, Tony, it's been chaos.
The audit went through.
l thought you knew.
- lt's this SLK thing.
- lt's all been cleared up.
l know. What's bothering me is where
you got all the money to actually...
..well, pay SLK in the first place.
l mean, it's the equivalent of $ million!
lt doesn't add up, you know.
lt's obvious. lt's part of the funding we've
had from you over the past few weeks.
Yes.
So, the same figure will flow back to you.
l see. You're saying that some of
the funding was used to pay SLK?
That's right, Tony.
So we'll be able to pay it back to you.
That'll be good. Er...
getting our funding down will be good.
l'm having to juggle quite a few balls.
We all are, Tony. Look, l've got to dash.
l've got company for dinner.
- Of course. Thanks, Nick.
- (Nick hangs up abruptly)
Thanks for... clearing that up.
(phone rings)
Yes, Ron. What do you want?
lt's me, you wanker! Danny.
Bubble? What are you doing
calling me in the middle of the night?
Are you anywhere near a TV?
l suggest you tune in to CNN.
The worst damage was in
the seaport of Kobe.
Road and rail links are shattered...
Jesus, an earthquake!
That's all we fuckin' need.
This is gonna kill the market, man.
The Nikkei's gonna fall
through the fuckin' floor!
..milling around in search of help.
Rescue operations are going
to be complicated, long...
..and expensive. Mike Chinoy,
CNN, reporting live from Tokyo.
(uproar)
Market's down points, you stand
there cool as a fuckin' cucumber.
The way l see it, it's an opportunity.
l'm gonna buy into the market.
Buy it all the way back up to .
Oi!
Fuckin' true what they say
about your gonads, mate.
See what l mean?
Think l'll give Fernando a bell in Tokyo,
see what's shakin'. No pun intended.
lt's Nick. What's the situation in Kobe?
We've been trying to contact our friends,
but the lines are down.
Hold it a second. We got movement.
Holy shit, selling! There's some selling!
Fuckin' hell, it's in free fall!
l've never seen it move so fast.
! !
!
Nick?
Sure you don't want us to stay?
No, l... l'm fine. You go.
You'll make it right, Nick.
We all believe in you.
million!
l,...
..Nicholas Leeson,...
..have lost...
.. million quid...
..in one day!
What does he do, exactly?
That's what no one seems able to explain.
lt's simple. He switches contracts
between Osaka and SlMEX,...
..exploiting price differentials
between the two markets.
That's how he offers the best deals
to our customers.
lf it's that easy,
why isn't everybody doing it?
Because he's absolutely in the vortex
of the information curve over there.
He's discovered a whole
new way of making money.
Well, he's giving us horrendous
funding problems, that's all l know.
He doesn't do things by the book, Ron.
He just doesn't respect the rules.
ls he really the kind of person
we should be employing at Barings?
Oh, fuck the rules. lt's barrow boys like
Nick who are turning the City around.
You can't run a modern financial centre
with a bunch of Hooray Henries.
Bastard!
Wakey-wakey!
- What's the action, mate?
- You tell me.
The market's up and down
like a tart's knickers.
- l think the worst is over.
- Who knows? You could be right.
Well, that's my hunch anyway.
Listen, l was out last night with that Loy.
You know, that journo from Reuters.
He's convinced
there's no mystery customer.
He reckons it's you. He thinks
you're trading on your own account.
Without the bank's approval.
Now, you're not that crazy, are you?
What do you think?
Who, then? Beaumarchais?
l thought he'd given you the elbow.
- l can't tell you.
- Come on. lt's me, Danny Boy!
l could tell you... but l'd
have to shoot you afterwards.
l know one thing.
lf Customer X didn't exist,...
..you'd have to invent him.
million?
You've already had this week.
Everybody's had an advance margin call
from SlMEX on their client positions.
They're worried about stability
with these big movements.
lt's an emergency measure(?)
lsn't everybody squealing out there?
No, we'll get it back
when the market calms down.
Nick, when are you gonna
reduce these positions?
The bean counters are freakin' out!
Ron! Didn't know you were there.
For fuck's sake, we've had
the Bank of lnternational Settlements...
..asking if Barings can
meet its margin payments!
- lt is not good for the image!
- l hear you, Ron. lt's a tight market.
Yeah, well, you've really gotta try.
Take a hit on it if you have to.
l know Norris is gonna want to discuss it
with you when he's out there next week.
Norris?
- l didn't know he was coming.
- Yeah, with Tony Hawes.
They want to check the numbers. lron out
these funding problems once and for all!
(thunder)
There was no way l could reduce my
positions without the market collapsing.
By the time they got to Singapore l was in
deeper than ever, faxing Brenda daily,...
.. million dollars at a time.
They were gonna kill me.
Lookin' like shit, Nick.
Lookin' like fuckin' shit, mate.
- Good evening, sir.
- Good evening.
(laughter and chat)
(Hawes) His approach shot
sliced into the woods...
- Nick. There you are.
- l'm sorry l'm a little bit late.
- What'll you have?
- A beer would be great, thanks.
Another Tiger, please.
Nick...
- How was the market today?
- lt stayed between and .
lt's settled after the earthquake.
Happy with the positions you're running?
l'm relaxed. They're March contracts,
so l'll let them expire.
- Good.
- Thanks.
Now, we've had a lot of stick...
over funding.
Brenda Granger tells me we're borrowing
all over Japan to get the funds to you.
People are beginning to talk, Nick.
l understand.
l understand completely.
Excellent.
Good man.
And that was it. That was apparently
all he had to say on the subject...
..of my enormous exposure causing
so many ulcers throughout Barings.
Better than you get in London,
that's for sure!
You'll enjoy the next course.
- Lobster, sir?
- No, thanks. l'm not very hungry.
l should have been able
to relax after that,...
..but l couldn't stop thinking about
the losses in the five eights account.
Shame you can't stay
for the match on Saturday.
(voices echo)
(Hawes) You're down for aren't you?
Your bonus.
Only a week to go.
Sorry?
Have you thought about what you're
going to do with it? Only a week to go!
Ahem! Excuse me.
l have an announcement to make.
l know that some of you are worried
about our exposure in the market,...
..and you're probably wondering about
the identity of our mystery Customer X.
Well, the fact is...
..he doesn't exist.
We are the customer: Barings.
Look properly at
the five eights account -
..which is not a client account,
it's an errors account -
..and you'll realise it's concealing
losses in the region of million.
No, l tell a lie.
lt's more like after today!
What are you going to do
with all that money, Nick?
Well, l won't spend it
on futures and options!
- That's very good.
- Very good.
l was living from day to day,
hoping for a miracle.
l wasn't running a position any more.
The position was running me.
Man, look at the state you're in.
You got the bloody shakes!
- You been on the razz all night?
- Nah.
- l'm just getting killed by the market.
- Tell me about it!
l've had a shitty week too.
Penguin? You lucky sod!
Do you know how rare they are?
Do you know?
- lt ain't that bloody funny!
- Lucky Leeson(!)
You have it.
l'm not laughing at you, Bubble.
Fuck! Sorry.
'Ey-ey-ey-ey-ey!
You really are in a bad way, ain't ya?
What's the matter?
l have an unauthorised position.
Fuckin' hell.
How big?
Big enough to be a problem.
Poor bastard!
l can't say it comes as
a complete surprise.
- Does Lisa know?
- No, she'd kill me.
She's got enough on her plate. She's just
waiting for my bonus so we can go home!
So what are you gonna do?
Well... l just have to keep buying
futures to support the market.
lf it sticks at my options are still in
the money - l could get the position back.
- l may even come out ahead.
- Nick...
You listen to me now, right.
You don't fight the market, man.
Even if you can make the margin calls,
what happens when the contracts expire?
The way the market's going,
your losses could be catastrophic!
Five for a thousand,
five for a thousand! Come on!
George, move this fuckin' market!
lf it stays below we're dead!
Come on!
Nick.
- Nick!
- Tony.
Nick, l really need to go over
some of the figures with you.
Sure, Tony.
Back in a minute.
Seven for five! Seven for five!
l'm sorry. Money!
l'd thrown away countless more millions,
and it hadn't made a dent.
l was only one day from bonus day,
but the game was up.
l was beaten.
Oh, Nick, you're a bloody fool, aren't you?
Well, it's not the end of the world.
You've got your health, you've got me...
Shame about the bonus.
Sorry.
Slow down.
The video shop's on the next left.
- l wanna get our deposit back.
- Right.
We're gonna need it, darlin'.
(phone rings)
- Hello?
- (Baker) The positions have got bigger!
lf they aren't reduced
l'm coming out there to sort you out!
- You're very faint, Ron.
- And what's this rumour l hear?
There's a rumour that we're the customer.
Sorry, you're gonna have to speak up.
Tell me we're not the customer, Nick.
- l'm losing you, Ron.
- Nick! Nick, are you there?
Goodbye, Ron.
They wouldn't give me the full
but l stood my ground and got .
Good girl.
Nick...!
(phone rings)
Excuse me, sir.
There's a phone call for you.
- Not now.
- lt's Peter Norris. He said it's urgent.
Oh. Thank you.
Would you excuse me?
Peter?
l'm sorry to drag you away
from your dinner party.
l'm afraid l've got some rather bad news.
By the time the shit hit the proverbial fan
in London we'd escaped Singapore...
..to ponder the future
and consider my options.
lf l had any.
What's gonna happen, Nick?
They must have got my fax and
closed down all the positions on Friday.
The market seems to be holding up OK.
But you're definitely out of a job?
lt could have been a lot worse,
but l still lost them a ton of money.
l'm starving! Think they do burgers here?
(laughs) No! You're not having a burger.
- That tummy of yours is driving me nuts.
- Don't stress me, wench!
(laughs)
l'll work it off in the gym.
Better still...
(kissing)
- Stop it. People are watching.
- So? l don't care. Come here, girl.
Jesus Christ, Lisa!
- Barings has gone bust!
- What?!
The Chancellor of the Exchequer
is trying to calm fears...
..sparked by the failure of Barings Bank.
ln a statement to Parliament...
..he denied reports that the British
banking system is about to collapse.
According to him, Barings'
failure is a unique situation,...
..which he blames on the actions
of a rogue trader in Singapore.
Estimates of potential losses range from
million to over one billion pounds.
There's no way of knowing how markets
will react when they reopen on Monday.
As the Bank of England tries to
put together a rescue package,...
..with the Sultan of Brunei rumoured
as a buyer, time may be running out...
..for one of Britain's most
venerable financial institutions.
Charles Samson, CNN, London.
(whispers) Fuck!
Oh, Nick!
How could you not tell me?
How could you have kept it hidden
for all this time, Nick?
You must have been through hell!
You would have marched me
straight into Simon Jones's office.
- Too bloody right!
- Then l'd have got fired,...
..and l couldn't have made the money
back. That's all l was gonna do.
No, but you were gambling.
That's what you were doing.
With other people's money.
l didn't want to let everyone down.
You, my dad, the girls in the office...
Even Ron bloody Baker!
Do you think they're all
gonna hate me now?
Well, l don't think you're
gonna be Mr Popular!
lt could easily have been
the other way, you know.
lt so nearly was.
Then l'd be a hero.
Oh...!
(whispers) Come here. Come here.
l still love ya. Mm?
- (whispers) l love you very much.
- l love you too.
Shall we see if l can do
something about that belly?
l see.
Yes, l understand.
No, of course.
Thank you again for your efforts.
Goodbye.
That was the Sultan of Brunei's office.
They have decided not to proceed.
They believe the risks are too great and
the time too short, in view of the need...
..to have a rescue package ready by the
time markets open again in the Far East.
ls there really no one else?
We've tried everyone. lt's hopeless.
l therefore have to inform you
that Barings is insolvent...
..and will go into immediate liquidation.
(sobs)
Peter Barings has gone on TV
and said there's been a conspiracy.
They've lost million quid!
l lost nowhere near that.
lt was more like !
But Barings didn't do anything Friday.
Now the word's out, the market's crashed.
Bloody idiots!
They think you've run off on your yacht.
- What?!
- l know. But listen, mate.
You've got no friends here now,
so just get the fuck out of Asia.
Get back to London, Australia, anywhere.
Just get out.
We're tryin'.
Oi, Nick...
get yourself a good lawyer.
- Be lucky.
- Cheers, mate.
(Tannoy) Flight to Hong Kong...
..leaving from gate two.
Fuck!
There's a manhunt all over Asia. They
think we're sailing around in our yacht!
- What bloody yacht?
- l know. What about the flights?
- There's one to London. Via Singapore.
- That's no good.
There's a flight to Frankfurt.
Via Abu Dhabi.
Let's take it.
And Lisa...
Pay cash.
- Newspaper, sir?
- No, thank you.
- Ma'am?
- Er... no, thanks.
Nick, take that thing off.
There's a guy over there lookin' at me.
l'm not surprised, with that bloody hat on!
Talk about conspicuous! You're
sticking out like a sore bloody thumb.
Did you say we stop at Abu Dhabi?
Yeah.
- That's where they cut your hands off.
- Oh, don't be ridiculous!
They just stone you.
What?
l'm sorry, but you've gotta laugh!
Poor old Barings, eh? That's what you get
for hiring the wrong sort of person.
That was when it hit me -
..the enormity of what l'd done.
Whatever happened, l knew things
were never gonna be the same again.
And l've never felt lonelier in all my life.
l love you, Lisa.
Whatever happens, l love you.
l love you too.
l've got to get back to London.
l couldn't stand being in jail in Singapore.
l couldn't stand it if l couldn't see you.
Jesus Christ, it's the police!
They must know l'm on the flight.
Well... no, not necessarily.
Due to our early arrival, passport control
will take place as you leave the plane.
Please have your documents ready.
See?
l'm scared, Lisa!
You be strong, OK?
Danke.
Pass, bitte.
Danke. Thank you.
Please show your passport.
Where is your man?
l'm her man.
(uproar)
bid on ! bid on ! Come on!
Who wants some of that?
bid on ! bid on ! Come on!
Aria from Mozart's ''The Magic Flute''
And that's it, more or less.
That's the end of my story.
Barings was eventually sold to the Dutch
bank lNG for the princely sum of .
Lisa's got a new life as a flight
attendant for Virgin Atlantic.
l hear she's got herself a new fella.
As for me, l fought unsuccessfully
against extradition...
..from Frankfurt to Singapore on charges
of fraud, forgery and breach of trust.
l was sentenced to
six and a half years in prison.
Despite rumours of secret
bank accounts and hidden millions,...
..l did not profit personally
from my unlawful trading.
To be absolutely honest,...
..sometimes l wish l had.
l've got something to say
We have come a long way
After all the things
that we have been through
l'm glad still to have you
l know you're hurtin'
And though you're hurtin'
lt will get better every day
l love all that you are
You are what l live for
After all the things
that we have been through
l'm glad still to have you
l know you're hurtin'
And though you're hurtin'
lt will get better every day