Here are some of the best films with a plot revolving around finance.
Films about finance – they hardly sound like the action-packed blockbusters that pull in high ratings at the cinema… but you’d be surprised!
From Oscar winners to all-time favourites, here are five interesting finance films that everyone in the industry (and aspiring to make it there) should watch.
Margin Call
This film was praised for ‘getting it right’ in terms of the 2008 financial crisis. The events play out over 24 hours: a financial company currently in the process of downsizing makes yet more people redundant, including the head of risk management.
When his assistant discovers his worrying analysis, he alerts the people in charge – the night then descends into chaos, with senior figures doing whatever it takes to save the company and innocent parties getting dragged in along the way.
The Wolf of Wall Street
Leonardo DiCaprio steps into the shoes of real-life stockbroker, Jordan Belfort, who soon gets sucked into the stereotypical stockbroker lifestyle. After being fired, he finds a job at a brokerage firm specialising in penny stocks and manages to strike it lucky, earning a small fortune.
Jordan founds his own business, along with neighbour Donnie Azoff, and the company takes off. Belfort’s lavish lifestyle intensifies, and it’s not long before the FBI is investigating his company – but to what end?
Inside Job
This five-part documentary film takes a close look at the financial crisis that struck the world in the late 2000s – and was highly praised by critics for its research and handling of such a complicated issue.
Filmed across several locations globally, including America, England, China and Iceland, Inside Job investigates the causes of the worst recession to hit the world since the Great Depression. The film won the 2010 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.
Boiler Room
After being discovered running an illegal casino in his flat, college dropout Seth gets a job as a broker in an attempt to please his father. Working from the boiler room, Seth turns out to be quite the dab hand at cold calling, and fast earns the respect of his colleagues.
It’s not long, though, until he’s breaking the law in order to keep his bosses happy and himself in good money.
Glengarry Glen Ross
Tensions run high when four real estate salesmen are told that they have a week to get their acts together – and only the top two will be keeping their jobs at the end of the week.
Desperate to succeed, one of the salesmen comes up with a dodgy plan which involves breaking into the office and stealing the leads to sell them off to a competitor – will he regret his decision, or will it pay off?
