After long hours of work, I want to come home and see something about the business on real events. Financial shenanigans, successful escapades, gimmick schemes, and monetary circumstances, twisted into a well-knit scenario, will appeal to many movie gourmets.
Today I finally decided to pay attention to the topic of money in movies. The best films about financiers, bankers and businessmen from all over the world are collected in this list.
The most detailed list of movies dedicated to businessmen, entrepreneurs, business model search, complex relationships with competitors – the perfect selection for anyone who wants to find something interesting and useful in the wide variety of the film industry.
In this post, I remembered all my favorite films about money based on real events. A list of movies about financial fraud, financiers and bankers. What to see about business and success from scratch.
Jerry Maguire, 1996
An amazing picture with Tom Cruise in the title role, really dipping the viewer into the world of violent relationships on the way to the American dream. Filmed in the tragicomedy genre with elements of melodramatic humor, this is a very informative story about a sports agent. From this film, you can learn a lot of new things not only about the world of athletes, behind-the-scenes deals and money relay races, but also become an eyewitness to the birth of a new hero in the business world. The difficulties that Jerry encounters make him rely only on himself. The picture perfectly reveals all the intricacies of the sphere of negotiation, without the skill of which you cannot earn a single cent in real America.
The plot of the film begins with the fact that a sports agent, masterfully played by Tom Cruise, gets turned around and finds himself on the street without a job. As a result, he does not become an inveterate drunkard and does not throw himself under a train, but simply creates his own company. But his main problem is that no one believes in Jerry, as his boss tried. And here he has only 2 people left – a tough athlete Rod and his girlfriend Dorothy (played by Renee Zellweger).
Boiler Room, 2000
This movie is a must have for anyone who is interested in entrepreneurship, business, sales and wants to succeed. There is an extraordinary plot and a very accurately repeating atmosphere of the US securities market. Cunning combinations, unusual tricks and skillful tricks will not leave anyone indifferent.
The beginning of the film depicts the life of a young card sharper, Seth Davis, who, instead of studying, begins to open an illegal casino in his own apartment. The noble father-judge is against this, and the situation between them is not the best and Seth is in deep thought about the chosen direction for earning. And here, at the right time, one of the clients offers him an impeccable job in a brokerage firm with a monthly salary 10 times higher than the income of the casino. As a result, Seta puts everything on the line, but only getting involved in this new business, she realizes that not everything is so smooth in the world of finance.
Most notably, Hollywood stars Vin Diesel and Ben Affleck especially shine in this masterpiece of financial fraud. One of the best films about the financial markets – if you want to understand what is special about a trader, the intricacies of a brokerage life, relaxation and easy money, be sure to watch it.
Quick Silver, 1986
An excellent plot in which we imagine the work of an ordinary broker Jack Casey in a financial office on Wall Street. Starring powerful Hollywood actor Kevin Bacon.
Initially, everything is going well for the guy – profits are growing and money is flowing to him in streams. However, the game on the stock exchange can never have only winnings, and here Jack has a major fiasco – he did not guess the dynamics of securities and lost a lot of money.
To win back, a novice broker is drawn into a new game and loses not only his money, but also his parent’s savings. On this, his career as a broker on the Stock Exchange is over and he needs to somehow get out. Another would have despaired in his place, but Jack Casey is not like that – and he no doubt decides to take the simplest and lowest paid job as a courier on a bicycle. Although neither the father nor his girlfriend share such a love for the messenger profession, considering it unworthy of a former broker. But then events take a sharp turn and he becomes in a very confusing situation.
Risky Business, 1983
Risky Business or Dangerous Business is a 1983 American comedy film directed by Paul Brickman. Starring: Tom Cruise, Rebecca De Mornay, Joe Pantoliano.
A very young student, Joel Goodsen, only dreams of how to solve his teenage problems, to enter Princeton, where he definitely does not have enough points or additional competitions, but at the same time he always obeys his parents and is an exemplary child.
But one day, the parents go on vacation and leave Joel alone at home. If only they knew what was going to happen to their son these days. A twisted plot and non-standard turns, a dizzying denouement, and all this for some 1.5 hours.
Rogue Trader, 1999
Crime drama based on Nick Leeson’s memoir How I Bankrupted the Barings. Director: James Dearden. Cast: Ewan McGregor, Anna Friel, Yves Beneton
One of the solid banking conglomerates, Barings, is losing profits and, in an attempt to solve its problems, employs a talented specialist, Nick Leeson. It was decided to entrust Nick not only with the technical accounting of assets, but also engage in trading on the stock exchange on behalf of the bank.
All goes well until Nick makes a couple of catastrophic misses, resulting in a deafening loss. But Nick does not give up and decides to hide his losses and, with the help of a very skillful scam, gets bogged down even deeper into the abyss of the financial hole. The result will be amazing and will make you think. The film really keeps you in suspense and it is worth watching at least once for everyone who is interested in selling on the stock market and working in banking institutions.
Wall Street 1987
A cult film directed by Oliver Stone about American Wall Street tycoons who run the show behind the scenes of the world. Cast: Michael Douglas, Charlie Sheen, Daryl Hannah.
The movie opens with viewers looking into the life of Bud Fox, a highly successful stockbroker who dreams of conquering the heights of Wall Street and achieving everything that can be achieved with millions of dollars at his disposal. His goal is to become not just a prominent financier, but to rise to the mega-heights of stock trading and rotate among the moneybags.
As a result, he gets a chance to meet an experienced American business tycoon, Gordon Gekko, who has millions in profits behind him. Head spinning from the profits and crazy combinations that Bud turns under the guidance of Gordon. However, everything is so cloudless and at some point the young broker finds himself at a crossroads, because his world and everything that he has been striving for for so long appears before him in a dubious light. One of the most popular movie incarnations of the Wall Street kitchen.
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, 2010
Continuation of the film epic about the financial tycoon Gordon Gekko, filmed by the same Oliver Stone 23 years after the release of the first part. Cast: Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf, Josh Brolin.
After a long stint in prison, former financial raider Gordon Gekko is released and enters a completely different whirlpool of events, leading up to the biggest financial crisis in 50 years.
Gordon has problems not only with his methods of earning money, which no longer work, but even with his daughter, who has refused to communicate with him for more than 10 years.
And then, like a bolt from the blue, a young and very ambitious trader Jacob Moore falls on the old financier. He offers Gekko a deal: help mend family relationships in exchange for valuable experience in the financial world. No one knows how this dangerous game will end and whether the novice financier will be able to solve his problems.
The Wolf of Wall Street, 2013
A stunning picture from the cult director of American crime life Martin Scorsese. Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie
In the midst of 1987, a major Wall Street investment bank hires broker Jordan Belfort. Everything would be fine, but as a result of the collapse of the Dow Jones index, the bank burst and Jordan again remains without a livelihood.
In order not to vegetate in lack of money, Jordan, at the instigation of his own wife, goes to work in a small company that trades in shares of the third tier. And then colleagues begin to marvel at his powerful sales style, thanks to which he quickly gains momentum.
After meeting Donny’s neighbor, also a trader, Jordan opens Stratton Oakmont and things take a different turn. In the film, Leonardo DiCaprio shines, shows the wrong side of the world of financiers and their reckless vacation.
Glengarry Glen Ross, 1992
Everyone who is in any way connected with the world of real estate should watch this magnificent movie about real estate agents at least once in their life. Cast: David Mamet, James Foley, Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Kevin Spacey.
How one agent manages to sell land to everyone in a row, while others fail to do this, even having precious tips on potential clients – this riddle will be solved by the viewer himself.
Several outstanding events take place in the plot, and besides the deals themselves, the manner of communication between the business coach and the lagging employees is interesting, especially in terms of how he motivates them to continue working even at late hours.
The true face of the unprincipled businessman, who is ready to sell his own mother for a couple of thousand bucks, appears in this drama before us in the brightest light. In addition, a criminal line also flows in this film, when these very tips – cards with contacts of potential buyers – disappear somewhere, and the police come to the office.
The Bank, 2001
Another picture in the thriller genre, directed by Robert Connolly, dedicated to the inner world in the banking environment.
Jim Doyle is a recognized mathematician and he finds an amazing formula, thanks to which it becomes possible to make stock market jump predictions and make big money on it. And now, after such a discovery, Jim needs to decide where to go next – to choose the side of the unprincipled banker Simon O’Reilly, or to maintain independence from big capital and sail on his own.
L’Argent Des Autres, 1978
And in this French film, which won two César awards and is an adaptation of Nancy Markheim of the second half of the 20th century, we can enjoy the brilliant performance of Catherine Deneuve and Jean-Louis Trintignant.
Before us appears a very solid banking institution Mirement, where Henri Ranier works on issuing loans. Everything would be fine, but to the misfortune of a bank employee, he approves a risky loan to a certain Claude Chevalier d’Aven, mistakenly believing that the issuance is authorized by higher management.
And when the bank is faced with a loan default, Henri becomes extreme. After he loses his job, Henri has very little time left to restore justice, otherwise he will be hung up on other illegal transactions in this bank.
Two for the Money, 2005
Another amazing financial thriller with drama elements from the famous Hollywood director DJ Caruso with a whole set of first-rate stars: Al Pacino, Rene Russo, Matthew McConaughey, Armand Assante.
A football player in the past, a successful master forward Brandon (played by Matthew McConaughey), after an injury, will never again be able to enter the field and is forced to say goodbye to football forever. The problem is that he needs to look for ways to earn money.
And then one of his past acquaintances, Walter (Al Pacino), comes to mind, raising money on the betting field and once before offering Brandon profitable scams, to which the football player always answered with a proud refusal.
Walter enters into an adventurous contract with a former football player, because he knows exactly how to make millions quickly. As a result, these two become participants in a game where losing is like dying. Big money is floating into their hands, but how long will this game between the two rivals last?
Le Capital, 2012
Quite a fresh French feature film, one of the works of film director Costa-Gavras based on the novel by Stéphane Osmond.
Fight for ownership between shareholders and against the takeover of a French bank. After a crushing fall while playing golf, the director of Phoenix Bank loses his seat and is replaced by a young and extremely ambitious manager, Marc Tournier. Sitting at the head of the largest French bank, Tournier is trying to prove that he is the real president and will be able to protect the financial corporation from being taken over by external raiders.
Pirates of Silicon Valley, 1999
An incredible story based on real events presents the viewers with a difficult path that the future giants of the computer world, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, have done.
They started their revolution when no one expected it. The computer era began not in the large research laboratories of the then giants, but in the garages of unknown computer geeks and coders who fantasized and experimented.
Not many years have passed, and former programmers founded the largest IT empires of our time, Microsoft and Apple, which are still considered the most technologically advanced corporations in the world, and Bill Gates regularly ranks first in the list of the richest people on the planet.
A biography film can inspire new exploits for everyone who is looking for their dream and wants to realize their hidden potential.
The Social Network, 2010
Another biography film that reveals to the audience the amazing story of the rise of computer genius, once a simple Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg, who founded his offspring Facebook in 2004 and in a few years became the youngest billionaire in the United States.
The history of the creation of the first social network Facebook, from the beginning to its deafening global recognition. The brilliant play of actors plunges into the world of programmers and business. Justin Timberlake excelled in this film.
Rollover 1981
The plot of the film is built around oil capital: former movie star Lee Winters, after the mysterious death of her husband, becomes the head of a petrochemical concern.
Since it is difficult for her to understand the complex intricacies of business and financial transactions, she has to resort to the help of Hubbel Smith, an expert in stock exchange transactions. He warns, with personal feelings for Winters, her company against collapse in the conditions of the stock market fever that arose after the sudden transfer of capital from the “oil emirs” from Saudi Arabia.
Barbarians At The Gate, 1993
Ross Johnson, a former newspaper salesman in Winnipeg, Canada, rose to the heights of the chief executive of RJR Nabisco, the largest New York tobacco firm.
Here a reason is hatched for cheap to buy all the shares and become the sole owner of the company. And he would have succeeded if not for Henry Kravitz and his cousin George Roberts. Competition intensifies, and the company is in danger of a coup.
Thank You for Smoking, 2005
A film about the relationship between tobacco lobbyist Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart) and opponents of smoking. The drama arises at the moment when Nick’s true attitude to cigarettes is revealed – he does not smoke and does not consider tobacco useful, although in all talk shows and in advertising he carefully defends the interests of the tobacco lobby. About hidden advertising, business connected with tobacco magnates.
99 francs, 2007
Marketing tricks, advertising tricks, the invention of new methods in TV promotion – the viewer of the film “99 francs” immediately enters the mysterious world of advertising and sales.
The protagonist Octave is the advertising genius of our time! He decides the fate of the world, it is he who decides what we will want tomorrow.
A very complex inner world of a man in the advertising business, against which a drama develops between him and the rest of the great community of advertisers. But for anyone who is involved in sales, entrepreneurship and wants to learn something new about marketing strategies, this movie is simply a must-see.
The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron, 2003
A movie about financial scams within the largest Enron corporation, which can be attributed to America’s financial titans.
In the main role, the viewer appears as an employee of the company Brian, who quite quickly began his career with the fact that he decided to get rich by any means, regardless of his conscience. Everything is going great, until an insurmountable circumstance appears on the horizon.
Money Monster 2016
Director: Jodie Foster. Cast: George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Jack O’Connell
Lee Gates is a TV presenter and Wall Street financial forecaster. And everything would be fine, but one of the spectators decided to take his advice and instantly lost his capital. And who should pay for it? Of course Lee Gates!
A desperate loser takes a TV presenter hostage and raises the TV ratings of the show to heaven.
Billions, series, since 2016
American drama television series starring Damian Lewis and Paul Giamatti.
Events unfold on the crest of a war between a Wall Street financier and a prosecutor.
Margin Call, 2011
Director: JC Chandor. Cast: Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons. Nominated for the 2012 Oscar for Best Screenplay.
A movie about the global economic crisis, which has already begun, because September 2008 is just around the corner, but none of the inhabitants are yet aware of what will happen to them all soon.
Instead, Wall Street executives are in the active phase of the rescue recipe. Events are accelerating at an alarming pace and at one fine moment financiers are witnessing a terrible discovery: the collapse of the bank is inevitable.
The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard, 2009
How to sell used cars! Comedy film directed by Hollywood director Neil Brennan.
The Big Short, 2015
Another story based on real events from the lives of several traders who independently predicted the global economic crisis of 2008 long before it became known on Wall Street.
Too Big to Fail, 2011
Based on a true story, film directed by Curtis Hanson and starring Hollywood star James Woods
The film chronicles the events that led to the financial collapse of 2008 and the subsequent collapse of Lehman Brothers, centered on US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. By the way, another drama (this time by British director Michael Semuels) on the theme of the financial crisis and the collapse of the largest American financial corporation Lehman Brothers: The Last Days of Lehman Brothers, 2009
The Ron Clark Story, 2006
A stunning picture in its spirituality, inspiring success! A teacher at a school in New York for less well-mannered students is trying to fight stereotypes and put into practice his new teaching methods, allowing him to open the hearts of students.
The Founder, 2016
A historical film directed by John Lee Hancock about the life of an American entrepreneur and businessman Ray Kroc
The film will share with the audience the secret of the success of Ray Kroc, the man who created the world’s most famous chain of fast food restaurants, McDonald’s.