💰 Top Movies About Wall Street and High Finance

1. Wall Street (1987)

Director: Oliver Stone
Why Watch: The ultimate classic. Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko gave us the iconic line: “Greed is good.” A gritty look at 1980s corporate raiding and moral corruption.

2. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

Director: Martin Scorsese
Why Watch: Based on the real life of Jordan Belfort, it’s a wild, drug-fueled, excessive ride through stock scams, penny stocks, and financial crime. Leonardo DiCaprio delivers a legendary performance.

3. Margin Call (2011)

Director: J.C. Chandor
Why Watch: A tense, cerebral drama about the 2008 financial crisis unfolding over 24 hours inside a collapsing investment bank. Brilliant ensemble cast. Quietly devastating.

4. The Big Short (2015)

Director: Adam McKay
Why Watch: Based on Michael Lewis’s book, it explains how the 2008 crash happened—and makes it entertaining. Smart, funny, and infuriating. Features a killer cast and clever storytelling.

5. Boiler Room (2000)

Director: Ben Younger
Why Watch: A raw, underrated look into illegal pump-and-dump schemes. A young Vin Diesel and Giovanni Ribisi sell dreams—and lies—from a shady call center.

6. Inside Job (2010)

Director: Charles Ferguson
Why Watch: An Oscar-winning documentary that dives deep into how the 2008 crisis happened—and who got away with it. Powerful, factual, and sobering.

7. American Psycho (2000)

Director: Mary Harron
Why Watch: Not a finance movie per se, but Patrick Bateman is the twisted embodiment of 1980s greed and narcissism in Manhattan’s elite finance world. Dark satire meets horror.

8. Trading Places (1983)

Director: John Landis
Why Watch: A hilarious but smart comedy about two men who swap lives as part of a bet between two wealthy commodities brokers. Think: stock market revenge meets social experiment.

 

 

9. Rogue Trader (1999)

Director: James Dearden
Why Watch: Based on the true story of Nick Leeson, whose unchecked trading brought down Barings Bank. Ewan McGregor plays the rogue banker at the center of the collapse.

10. Too Big to Fail (2011)

Director: Curtis Hanson
Why Watch: A dramatization of the 2008 crisis from the perspective of U.S. government officials. Insightful look at backroom deals, bailouts, and moral hazard.