Best Movies That Make Wall Street And Finance Seem Very Shady

From John Landis, the director behind classics like Animal House and The Blues Brothers comes the 1983 hit Trading Places. The film stars Eddie Murphy as a streetwise crook and Dan Aykroyd as a snobby Wall Street player. The pair trade places as part of a social experiment conducted by a duo of wealthy brothers.

Trading Places was a big financial hit, earning over $120 million at the worldwide box office. The film was only Eddie Murphy’s second, and it helped launch his career boom of the 1980s as a highly sought-after comedian and movie star.

The film also expanded the repertoire of Jamie Lee Curtis, who was cast against the studio’s will due to her history with horror movies. The success of Trading Places was a career milestone for all involved, paving the way for years of great work from its key cast and crew.

This HBO movie examines the 2008 financial crisis in blistering detail. This riveting look at massive bank failures and bailouts boasts an all-star cast, including Paul Giamatti, James Woods, Topher Grace, William Hurt, Billy Crudup, Bill Pullman, Cynthia Nixon, Tony Shalhoub, and more.

The cast delivers knockout performances under the direction of L.A. Confidential and 8 Mile helmer Curtis Hanson. Based on the book by journalist and Author Andrew Ross Sorkin, the screenplay was written by Peter Gould, who went on to be the showrunner of Better Call Saul.

This stellar team shines a light into the shadowy backrooms of high finance, delivering a film that is equal parts fascinating and icky.

From writer/director Ben Younger, Boiler Room is a finance drama sure to make you sweat. Giovanni Ribisi stars as a young college dropout who starts to make it big as a broker at a small investment firm.

His quick rise through the ranks proves too good to be true when he discovers that the firm is not as legitimate as he had once thought. Boiler Room features a supporting cast of stars early in their careers, such as Vin Diesel, Nia Long, Scott Caan, and Ben Affleck.

The smart direction and thrilling performances in Boiler Room make it a fun, tense foray into the world of shady finance, showing just how far people will go to strike it rich.

From Adam McKay, one of Hollywood’s most politically charged filmmakers, The Big Short tells the story that led up to the 2008 financial crisis from the perspective of four investors who saw the collapse coming.

Starring Steve Carell, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, and Brad Pitt, this film is a wildly entertaining look at the corruption and greed that turned the American financial system into a house of cards.

The film was praised for its innovative filmmaking and explanations of complex financial concepts. It was nominated for five Academy Awards, including a win for Best Adapted Screenplay.

With supporting appearances from Marisa Tomei, Margot Robbie, Max Greenfield, Selena Gomez, and more, The Big Short is a fun and freaky look at just how shady Wall Street can be. 

Margin Call tells the story of the 2008 financial crisis from yet another perspective – the employees of a major investment bank. This film doesn’t play. It takes the thriller approach to the subject, turning into a taut and serious story that unfolds over the course of a tense 24-hour period.

When a banker, played by Zachary Quinto, discovers that a crisis is impending, he ropes in his co-workers, played by Penn Badgley, Kevin Spacey, and Paul Bettany, to figure out what to do.

Backed by a supporting cast including Jeremy Irons, Demi Moore, Simon Baker, and Stanley Tucci, Margin Call shows how the sausage gets made. It gives a close-up look at the decisions that caused the 2008 financial collapse. If Wall Street didn’t seem shady before, it will after Margin Call.

From Oliver Stone, the director behind breakout films like Platoon and Natural Born Killers, Wall Street sets the standard for films exploring the shady world of finance. It tells a story of insider trading and personal greed, following a headstrong young stockbroker, played by Charlie Sheen, who uses illegally obtained information to get ahead in the stock market.

Co-starring Michael Douglas, Daryl Hannah, Tamara Tunie, and Martin Sheen, Wall Street is a gripping crime drama with complex characters and deeply personal stakes. The film garnered $41 million at the global box office, earned Douglas an Academy Award, and has since become an 80s classic.

Now, the shadiest film of all, the ultimate monument to excess, The Wolf of Wall Street. From director Martin Scorsese, cinema’s king of the American underbelly, this revered and controversial film tells the true story of Jordan Belfort, a stockbroker who rises to immense wealth during the late 80s and 90s. Fueled by drugs, sex, and greed, Belfort steeps himself in criminal schemes and corrupt tactics, making him a target for the FBI.

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, the film also launched the career of Margot Robbie, gave a whole new dimension to Jonah Hill, and made a meme out of Matthew McConaughey’s brief and awesome performance.

The film was criticized by some for its excessive nudity and drug use, but excess is exactly what this film sets out to critique. This three-hour monster of a movie was nominated for five Academy Awards and cemented itself as an instant classic. 10 years later, it sits solidly at the top of our list of shady Wall Street films in spectacular style.