178. The Outsider; movie review

THE OUTSIDER
Cert PG
99 mins
BBFC advice: Contains mild bad language

My experience of the business world leads me to believe that those who have made lots of money have probably had many setbacks along the way.
Indeed, I am a little bit in awe of those whose self-belief enables them to bounce back from hurdles such as bankruptcy.
I think, in common with many, I would find it mentally shattering.
However, I am not envious of the way their obsession with business and money dwarfs the importance of family.
Nobu Su ticks all of the above boxes. He was The Outsider who found his way into the shipping business which had long been a closed shop.
He says that his driver was being the only child of a father who had already founded the company which he then grew into one of the richest in the world.
And then he lost the lot!
Tom Meadmore's film centres on Nobu Su's battle to prove that banks deliberately set out to ruin him around the time of the 2008 financial collapse.
He spins a web of complex financial intrigue which has resulted in court battles over staggeringly high sums of money.
But this is not an entirely one-sided film - it makes clear that Nobu Su has his own faults, not least how he has treated his staff and family.
When questioned about them, he strangely fails to engender the same levels of  passion he has for fighting for his business.
Meanwhile, the interviews with his daughters are painfully revealing and those with specialist financial journalists reveal unanswered questions.
The Outsider certainly grabbed my interest, largely because it showed how lots of money could be made as well as lost in a very short time.
But the intricacies of the banking wrangle are occasionally quite dense and Nobu Su is not as appealing a character as I originally thought he might be.
I guess nobody who has made lots of money at the expense of others is likely to be.

Reasons to watch: One man's fascinating story of being done over by the banks
Reasons to avoid: The story is unfinished

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 7.5/10

The big question - How could the banks get away with it?

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