Beyond entertainment, movies are powerful learning tools, conveying knowledge, history, culture, human behavior, and even stock-related concepts through compelling narratives here is a list of top stock-related movies.
The Wolf of Wall Street: 2013
This movie is an epic comedy crime biographical film directed by the legendary director Martin Scorsese and written by Terence Winter, the movie features lead Hollywood actors like Leonardo DiCaprio as Belfort Margot Robbie as Naomi Lapaglia, Matthew McConaughey as Mark Hanna.
The movie is the biography of Jordan Belfort where It recounts Belfort’s career as a stockbroker in New York City and how his firm, Stratton Oakmont, engaged in rampant corruption and fraud on Wall Street, leading to his downfall.
The film explores themes of greed, corruption, and the dangers of unchecked ambition. Of Jordan Belfort where his company Stratton Oakmont thrives by running “pump and dump” schemes for penny stocks, manipulating stock prices to generate massive profits.
- IMDB rating: 8.2/10
- Awards won: AFI Movie of the Year 2013
- Available On: Amazon Prime Video
The Big Short: 2015
This movie is an American comedy-drama and is an adaptation of the book The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, a nonfictional book written by Michael Lewis about the build-up of the United States housing bubble during the 2000s.
This movie casts top-line Hollywood actors like Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, and Brad Pitt, with John Magaro, Finn Wittrock, Hamish Linklater, Rafe Spall, Jeremy Strong, and Marisa Tomei in supporting roles.
The film explores themes of greed, corruption, and the consequences of unchecked financial speculation. It also serves as a critique of the financial industry and the regulatory failures that contributed to the 2008 crisis. looking closer the movie shows how a few individuals who looked deeper, and did their research, could see the flaws in the bond market which the majority could not.
- IMDB rating: 7.8/10
- Awards won: BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay 2016
- Available On: Netflix
Margin Call: 2011
This movie is an American drama written and directed by J. C. Chandor the movie shows the 24 hours at a large Wall Street investment bank during the initial stages of the 2008 financial crisis. It narrates the actions taken by a group of employees working in the bank during the period of the financial collapse the movie casts stars like Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Mary McDonnell, Demi Moore, and Stanley Tucci.
The film delves into themes of greed, self-preservation, and the systemic risks within the financial industry. It portrays the cold, calculating nature of high-stakes finance and the difficult choices individuals make under immense pressure. It also shows the inner workings of the financial industry and the way that the people within it, view the markets.
- IMDB rating: 7.1/10
- Awards won: AACTA International Award for Best Screenplay 2012
- Available On: Amazon Prime Video
Too Big to Fail: 2011
This is an HBO film based on Andrew Ross Sorkin’s non-fiction book of the same name. It provides a detailed dramatization of the 2008 financial crisis, focusing on the actions and decisions of key figures in the U.S. government and on Wall Street during the critical weeks leading up to the collapse of Lehman Brothers.
The movie is directed by Curtis Hanson starring actors like William Hurt, Edward Asner, Billy Crudup, Paul Giamatti, Topher Grace, Cynthia Nixon, Bill Pullman, Tony Shalhoub, and James Woods.
The theme explores systemic risk, regulatory failure, and the ethical dilemmas faced by those in positions of power during a crisis. It raises questions about the interconnectedness of the financial system and the consequences of allowing certain institutions to become “too big to fail.”It also shows the inner workings of the US treasury and the Federal Reserve.
- IMDB rating: 7.2/10
- Awards won: Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie 2012
- Available On: Jio Hotstar
Rogue Trader: 1999
This is a British biographical film written and directed by James Dearden film that tells the true story of Nick Leeson, whose unauthorized trading activities led to the collapse of Barings Bank, one of the oldest and most respected investment banks in British. The film portrays Nick Leeson’s rise as a successful trader at Barings Bank, particularly when he’s sent to Singapore to manage the trading floor on the SIMEX exchange the movie casts actors like Ewan McGregor and Anna Friel.
The theme of the movie revolves around how Nick Leeson’s desire for success and wealth ultimately led to his downfall and the destruction of Barings Bank.It demonstrates how a single individual’s actions can have catastrophic consequences for even the most established and respected financial institutions
- IMDB rating: 6.4/10
- Awards won: none
- Available On: YouTube
Written By Likesh Babu S