Scandal AND THE CITY
A high-flying banker uncovers a deadly global cabal in this thrilling tale of greed, political intrigue – and murder
PICK OF THE WEEK DEVILS Wednesday, Sky Atlantic, 9pm
They’re taking no prisoners in this taut new thriller set in the world of high finance during the economic crisis of a decade ago. Though there’s turmoil in the wider world, life still looks pretty good for anyone fortunate enough to find themselves among the City’s financial elite.
Massimo Ruggero (Alessandro Borghi) is a dashingly handsome Italian expat, formerly married to drug-addicted Carrie (Sallie Harmsen, inset, above), lording it over Canary Wharf as head of trading at the New York London Investment Bank (NYL). He can turn a horrendous loss into a multi-million-dollar profit, and enjoys rewards to match: a telephone-number salary, with a jaw-dropping apartment and a garage of supercars.
But as he nears a longed-for promotion to an even loftier role, he begins to realise that his all-powerful boss, Dominic Morgan (Patrick Dempsey, main picture), may have veiled the dark truth behind the bank’s ability to maintain its incredible success at a time of global mayhem. As Ruggero is moved to observe: ‘The devil’s greatest trick isn’t making us think he doesn’t exist, it’s flattering us so we don’t see the devil is in us.’ Ruggero’s initial suspicions lead him to uncover a terrifying cabal operating at the very highest level of political and corporate power all around the world – a select group of figures who will stop at nothing to protect their wealth. But how far can he go before he finds himself, and everyone he holds dear, in danger..?
This glossy ten-part production is easy on the eye and provides rattlingly good entertainment in the vein of a John Grisham thriller or Jeffrey Archer novel. It’s based on the book I Diavoli by financier and writer Guido Maria Brera, but those with a knowledge of how the City works should be warned: the attempts to put a new spin on real-life events stretch credulity to breaking point.
However, aficionados of far-fetched conspiracy theories will thrill at the ludicrous notion that the disgracing of former IMF chief Dominique StraussKahn and the collapse of the Greek economy were both deliberately engineered.
Meanwhile, Dempsey, at 55, is still the perfect pin-up we first saw as doctor Derek ‘McDreamy’ Shepherd in Grey’s Anatomy in 2005 – and even if it took a diabolical pact to magically preserve his devilishly dishy looks, who among his swooning legion of fans would really complain?