Traders Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Traders Blu-ray Movie Review

Your Money or Your Life

Reviewed by Michael Reuben August 5, 2016

Traders is a tale for our time. Although it isn't strictly "cautionary", it may prompt pessimistic musing about how far people will go to stay afloat in a world of economic uncertainty. Exploring territory similar to that of E.L. Katz's Cheap Thrills, first-time writer/directors Rachel Moriarty and Peter Murphy have brought a distinctively Irish brand of dark humor to the downward spiral that so many experienced after the 2008 financial collapse. Released theatrically in Ireland and England earlier this year, Traders is being brought to Blu-ray in the U.S. by MPI's Dark Sky Films, which is generally known for its horror collection. Traders isn't a horror film, but it does feature a memorable collection of dead and mutilated bodies, and most of its characters live in a state of perpetual fear.

The hero (or is he an anti-hero?) of Traders is Harry Fox, who is played by Irish actor Killian Scott, a familiar face in the U.K. from his role in a popular crime series, Love/Hate. (He's currently appearing in Ripper Street.) Harry is one of many Dubliners who suddenly find themselves unable to pay their bills, after his employer, a financial firm, abruptly closes its doors. Stuck in a low-paying clerical job and dodging threatening calls from the bank that holds the mortgage on the luxurious bachelor apartment he can no longer afford, Harry desperately needs a break—and it arrives in the form of a business plan proposed by a former co-worker, a baby-faced IT guy named Vernon Stynes (John Bradley, who plays Samwell Tarly on Game of Thrones). Inspiration strikes Vernon after another former colleague kills himself in financial despair, and the press calls it an "econocide". With the zealous attention to detail of a confirmed gamer, Vernon designs a website and develops a set of rules to transform econocide into a thriving enterprise. He calls it "trading".

To become a trader, one liquidates everything they own, places the cash in a green duffel bag, and then connects with someone else listing a similar-sized stake on Vernon's website. The two traders meet each other in a clandestine location (usually a public toilet), where they size each other up and, if both sides agree, proceed to a remote spot where they jointly dig a grave. Then they battle to the death, after which the winner buries the loser and departs with both bags of cash. Vernon's rules even provide a cover story in the form of suicide notes that both traders prepare before their match. He estimates that seven successful trades should net sufficient funds to support the victorious trader for the rest of his (or her) life.

Though Harry is initially repelled by the idea, he comes around as his finances deteriorate. Traders methodically charts his progression (or is it a descent?) from anxious novice to skillful trader. Along the way, he acquires a new set of of lethal skills, as well as learning valuable tricks like stitching up a knife wound. (Like any card-carrying millennial, he turns to the internet, where a former Army medic has a posted a series of helpful videos on YouTube.) Harry also has to breach one moral barrier after another, as his fellow traders turn out to be people he never expected to confront: a woman (Lydia McGuinness), a father with a family (Tom O'Sulleabhain) and even a teenager named Ken (Barry Keoghan), who turns out to be a proper little psychopath.

As Vernon's website takes off, there are unforeseen developments that his careful planning didn't anticipate. As frequently happens with a successful small business, a criminal element takes an interest and attempts to intervene just as Harry's winnings have reached respectable levels. Vernon and Harry also find themselves at odds over the romantic attentions of Orla (Nika McGuigan), Vernon's neighbor on whom the doughy programmer has long had a crush. Harry narrates Traders in a sadder-but-wiser voiceover, the tone of which hints that he might be telling his tale from beyond the grave. But you'll have to see the movie to find out.

Traders Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Traders was shot by cinematographer Peter Robertson (George Gently) using both the Arri Alexa and Sony F3 digital cameras. Coming from a documentary background, Robertson favors handheld shots that allow the actors freedom of movement within a scene, and he lights sparsely, taking advantage of the overcast Irish sky to create a sense of the financial winter that the film's characters are trying to survive. Except for Harry's handsomely appointed residence (in which, according to the filmmakers, audience members often express a desire to live), Traders is set in bleak landscapes, many of which are actual "ghost estates" (the Irish term for a construction project abandoned after the financial collapse). The numerous public restrooms that provide meeting sites for prospective traders are similarly stark and forbidding.

MPI Media's 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray supplies a fine presentation of Robertson's images, providing clarity without digital harshness, superior detail and the dull, desaturated palette that dominates the film. (When there's an occasional splash of bright color, it's like an oasis.) Black levels and contrast all appear to be properly balanced, and there is nothing in the way of interference or artifacts. MPI has mastered the digitally originated film with an average bitrate of 25.40 Mbps.

Traders Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Traders' 5.1 sound mix, encoded in lossless DTS-HD MA, is modest but effective. The many varieties of body blows and the sounds of stabbing, choking and gushing wounds are more sickening for being understated. The film's score, which is uncredited, is equally minimalist, often consisting of no more than low tones and rhythmic beats. At key moments, a deep (very deep) bass tone punctuates and intensifies the action on screen. Dialogue is mostly clear, with the notable exception of Vernon's electronic distortions of his voice on the Traders website's instructional videos, where the sound designers went a little too far; optional subtitles can be used to fill in the gaps. The entire soundtrack appears to have been mastered at a low volume, so that viewers may find it necessary to turn up the dial beyond their customary settings.

Traders Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: The commentaries are located under "Setup".

• Commentary with Writer/Directors Rachael Moriarty and Peter Murphy: The filmmaking team is enthusiastic and self-deprecating as they recount the adventure and excitement of making their first feature. They speak continuously, addressing production logistics, recent Irish history and the film's underlying themes.



• Commentary with Actor Killian Scott: Interviewed by director David Gregory (The Theatre Bizarre) two years after performing in Traders, Scott provides a detailed account of making the film, including his interactions with the writer/director team and other cast members, as well as stunt training and his approach to playing Harry. Scott also describes audience reactions as the film toured the festival circuit.



• The Cost of Living: Making Traders (1080p; 1.78:1; 15:15): This comprehensive EPK includes interviews with writer/directors Moriarty and Murphy as well as the producers, principal cast and DP Peter Robertson. Though not as detailed as the two commentaries, it's an informative overview of how the project was developed and brought to the screen.



• Trailers: The trailers demonstrate two different approaches to marketing Traders. Trailer 2 uses selections from Harry's voiceover in the film.
• 1 (1080p; 1.78:1; 2:08).
• 2 (1080p; 1.78:1; 2:08).



• Introductory Trailers: At startup, the disc plays trailers for Emelie, Convergence, The Sheik and Deathgasm, which can be skipped with the chapter forward button and are not otherwise available once the disc loads.

Traders Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Actor Killian Scott reports in his commentary that many audiences for Traders are unsure whether or not to laugh. The film is a comedy, albeit a grim one, and much of the humor arises from John Bradley's skillful portrayal of Vernon, whose talent as an entrepreneur is limited to his computer screen. As his algorithms and meticulous rules are undone by unruly reality and his new enterprise slips from his control, Vernon's incomprehension is both pitiful and hilarious. Traders takes an absurd premise and carries it to its logical conclusion. It's a modern-day version of Swift's satirical classic, A Modest Proposal. Highly recommended.