Traders (film)

Traders
Directed byRachael Moriarty
Peter Murphy
Written byRachael Moriarty
Peter Murphy
Produced by
  • Libby Durdy
  • Rachel Lysaght
  • Stuart Switzer
Starring
CinematographyPeter Robertson
Edited by
  • Joe McElwaine
  • Alastair Reid
Release dates
  • July 11, 2015 (2015-07-11) (Galway)
  • March 11, 2016 (2016-03-11) (Ireland)
  • July 29, 2016 (2016-07-29) (UK)
Running time
90 mins.
CountryIreland
LanguageEnglish

Traders is a 2015 Irish thriller film, written and directed by Rachael Moriarty and Peter Murphy. It stars Killian Scott, John Bradley, Nika McGuigan, Barry Keoghan, Peter O’Meara, David Murray, Caoilfhionn Dunne, Olwen Fouéré, Dónall Ó Héalai, and Laurence Kinlan. It premiered at the 2015 Galway Film Fleadh,[1] and was subsequently released in Ireland and the UK the following year.

Plot

Harry Fox and John Stynes have both been laid off from lucrative jobs. Harry is in danger of apartment repossession until John concocts an idea called "trading", in which people fight to the death to earn the loser's life savings. Harry cannot bring himself to kill John, but John attempts to kill Harry only to stab himself in the shoulder. Harry brings John back to his apartment for convalescence, and his neighbor Orla (whom John is in love with) tracks him down. She and Harry begin a relationship secretly, while Harry all the while continues to increase his kills and savings. John, bitter at losing money, decides to become an agent to Ken, the florist's son. This all culminates in a final showdown.

Cast

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 82% of 11 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.10/10.[2]

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian lauds this as "an ingenious satirical thriller".[3] The staff at The Hollywood Reporter say "Though its recipe of anxious misanthropy doesn’t crackle from the start, the picture builds steadily to an end so satisfying it could well generate fest buzz and lead to an art house run."[4]

Brian Lloyd of Entertainment.ie gives it 3/5 stars and compliments the cast including lead Killian Scott, additionally stating "There's never been an Irish John Carpenter or Wes Craven to take on the underbelly of Irish society, but Traders is a decent shot at it."[5] Colm Quinn of Film Ireland says "John Bradley steals the show…He is a weasel, a snake, and bloody brilliant."[6]

Slightly less enthusiastic, Jason Coyle of Scannain rates it 2.6/5, suggesting that the film "passes the time harmlessly enough—Just don't expect it to live long in the memory afterwards".[7]

References

  1. ↑ O'Reilly, Ailbhe (26 July 2015). "Review: Traders – Galway Film Fleadh". Film Ireland. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  2. ↑ "Traders (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. 30 November 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  3. ↑ Bradshaw, Peter (10 March 2016). "Traders review – violent thrills in a post-crash Fight Club". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  4. ↑ THR Staff (8 August 2015). "Traders: Fantasia Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  5. ↑ Lloyd, Brian (8 June 2016). "Traders". Entertainment.ie. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  6. ↑ Quinn, Colm (11 March 2016). "Review: Traders". Film Ireland. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  7. ↑ Coyle, Jason (31 July 2015). "Review: Traders". Scannain. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
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