It’s high finance versus low morals in ‘Devils’

Massimo has clawed his way from the gutter to the peak of global finance. Now his world is crumbling, but he’s a devil not easily banished.

Patrick Dempsey and Alessandro Borghi are ‘Devils’. Source: Sky / Lux Vide

The opening scene of Devils (now streaming at SBS On Demand) sees Dominic Morgan (Patrick Dempsey) prowling a trading floor telling his rapt audience a story about how those around him are the “fish in the know” – those who see the way finance rules the world and can use the power that comes with that knowledge to their advantage.

Dominic Morgan (Patrick Dempsey). Source: SBS

At the head of that pack of sharks is Massimo Ruggero (Alessandro Borghi), who has just made the firm a two hundred and fifty million dollar profit. It’d be a celebration… if the scene didn’t then cut away to someone falling to a very messy end in the lobby. Stockbrokers traditionally jump to their deaths as a way to cut short the consequences of a bad deal; here, one man’s death is only the beginning.

On paper Massimo seems like a nice guy. The son of a poor Italian fisherman, he’s clawed his way to the top in the world of international finance. Well, not quite to the top: his mentor Dominic still sits at the head of the table, and if Massimo is going to climb any higher, he needs to remain in his good books. Considering Massimo is calling him “the Devil” even before the opening credits roll, there’s already a bit of tension there.

Massimo Ruggero (Alessandro Borghi). Source: SBS

Despite all the swirling camerawork and floating numbers in the trading scenes, it’s a more down-to-earth matter that derails Massimo’s career. His ex-wife is working as an escort, and after a dizzying encounter in a fancy hotel room, Massimo and his team are convinced that his main rival for the next big promotion has not only dug up this information, but is willing to use it to knock Massimo out of the running. A smear campaign is nothing to the kind of people who casually ruin lives for profit; that body in the lobby isn’t the only suspicious death the police will soon be looking into.

Dutch actress Sallie Harmsen as Massimo’s ex-wife Carrie Price. Source: SBS

Set in 2011 against a backdrop of international financial uncertainty, Devils is satisfyingly global in its cast, with supporting players from Argentina and the UK alongside its Italian lead and US villain. Money, especially when it comes to making it, knows no borders, and across the first ten episodes the story gradually expands from corporate infighting to international politics. The financial world looks to exploit issues like the crumbling Greek economy, while a group of financial hacktivists, most notably Sofia (Laia Costa), aim to take down the empire that Dominic has built for reasons both political and personal.

Spanish actress Laia Costa as hacktivist Sofia Flores in this international drama. Source: SBS

Massimo has his own team (known as “The Pirates”) backing him up, but how much he can trust them remains an open question, which is why he increasingly relies on outsiders like expert hacker Oliver (Malachi Kirby). What isn’t a question is who has the best hair in the series: that’d be Kalim (Paul Chowdhry), a member of The Pirates who looks like he belongs on a pirate ship.

Devils is a series that likes it both ways, happy to seduce us with all the surface pleasures and luxury of the ultra-rich while making sure we see the darkness behind all that glamour. There’s no clearer example of that than Dominic himself. Patrick Dempsey – probably still best known as heartthrob Dr McDreamy on Grey’s Anatomy – isn’t exactly short on charm, good looks and charisma, and he puts them all to good use here.

‘Devils’. Source: SBS

Confident and assured, Dominic is the kind of boss it’s easy to believe people would follow anywhere – even Massimo, who initially wants to remain loyal even as he realises he’s being set adrift by the man he’s devoted his life to. A hero needs a villain to define himself against, and if you’re going to be facing off against someone as slick and as sinister as Dominic, you need to have something special.

The twist in Devils is that yes, Massimo has that special something. It’s just that what makes him special is a level of ruthlessness that may very well put his boss to shame. You don’t come up from nothing without being willing to sacrifice everything, and in his meteoric rise, things like his past and his family ended up merely discarded booster stages on his rocket to the top.

That’s why the show is called Devils – plural. When Massimo looks into Dominic’s heart, it’s his own darkness looking back at him.

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Devils is now streaming at SBS On Demand.