Wondering which are the best Wall Street movies ever to hit the screen? The movie industry is undoubtedly one of the largest in the world, and over the past few decades, movies related to Wall Street and high finance have become ever more popular. This is especially true since the 1980’s trader boom and the subsequent crisis, as well as the various scandals regarding frauds, scams and bankruptcies of famous executives and firms recently.
There is no doubt films not only tell fantastic stories and entertain us, but some of them also recount and even influence history. Our list on The 10 Best Business Movies of the Past 100 Years include films like Citizen Kane, It’s a Wonderful Life, Modern Times and The Godfather. Business and finance movies can focus on the amazing potential of Wall Street, and its benefits, or on its corruption, scams and frauds, which gives such movies a wide base of moral dilemmas and scenarios to work with, making them extremely riveting.
Today we’ve gathered some of the best Wall Street movies of all-time. From documentaries to romantic comedies, the Wall Street world has a lot to offer when it comes to inspiring creative plots. Check out our list to see what these films were capable of.
No. 10 Wall Street (1987)
This is probably the top classic Wall Street film. It features Michael Douglas as the ruthless Gordan Gekko, a Wall Street trader. Oliver Stone indeed created one of the most popular examples of financial cinema.
The legendary Wall Street only comes in at number ten, so you know the rest of the list is going to be filled with outstanding finance films. Keep reading our list of the best Wall Street movies to find out which films they are.
No. 9 Bonfire of the Vanities (1990)
Brian DePalma directed this film, basing the screenplay on a book by Tom Wolfe. Starring Academy Award nominees Tom Hanks, Bruce Willis and Melanie Griffith, the movie reveals an amazing approach towards the Wall Street world, focusing on the Manhattan elite of the 80’s.
No. 8 Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
The story takes place in Chicago, where the salesmen at a real-estate office are encouraged to compete for bonuses and prizes. The race for success shows how far they are willing to go in order to succeed. Directed by James Foley, the film features an amazing cast headlined by Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Kevin Spacey and Ed Harris.
No. 7 Rogue Trader (1999)
This film was based on the real life story of Nick Leeson, a Barings Bank trader, who brought down one of the oldest investment banks in Great Britain. Starring Ewan McGregor, this movie shows some of the most shocking Wall Street facts, and how Leeson managed to trick his superiors into believing he was earning large profits.
No. 6 American Psycho (2000)
With the performance of Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman, a young man working on Wall Street at his father’s company, the films shows a main character involved in several intentional murders. Bateman’s life continues and his psychopathic behavior becomes more intense, turning even more radical as the plot unfolds.
No. 5 Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room (2005)
This is probably one of the best Wall Street documentaries ever made. The movie tells the story of the collapse of the Enron Corporation in 2001, which resulted in several criminal trials of the company’s top executives. The documentary features numerous interviews with Enron’s former employees and executives, and includes the story of executives Ken Lay, Jeff Skilling, Andy Fastow, and Timothy Belden.
No. 4 The Pursuit of Happiness (2006)
The film was based on a true story about a man, Christopher Gardner, who went broke after investing heavily in a medical device. Starring Will Smith and his son Jaden, the plot revolves around a homeless father’s journey to becoming a successful stockbroker on Wall Street.
No. 3 Quants: The Alchemists Of Wall Street (2010)
Another Wall Street documentary, Quants reveals the inner-workings of quantitative analysts on Wall Street. These mathematical wizards and computer programmers are the ones behind the invention of financial models that have taken Wall Street to its rise, and subsequently, to its fall.
No. 2 Too Big to Fail (2011)
This film recreated the 2008 financial crisis, which took place after the Lehman Brothers announced the bankruptcy of their firm. The movie is based on the book “Too Big to Fail”, by Andrew Ross Sorkin, and focuses on the complicated moral standards behind Wall Street trades and its businessmen.
No. 1 Arbitrage (2012)
With Rechard Gere as its main character, Arbitrage tells the story of a troubled hedge fund manager who tries to secretly sell his business for a large profit. Yet, before selling the company, he decides to cook his company’s books to cover an investment loss, and avoid being arrested for fraud. This film is shows some scandalous procedures done throughout history at these major Wall Street companies.
