Top 10 Films About Bankers

Description: An iconic film that explores the excesses of the 1980s financial scene, focusing on a young stockbroker who gets entangled with a ruthless corporate raider. It's a classic tale of ambition, greed, and the moral cost of success in banking.

Fact: The character Gordon Gekko, played by Michael Douglas, became a symbol of corporate greed with his famous line, "Greed, for lack of a better word, is good."

Description: This film dives into the world of a brokerage firm where young brokers engage in aggressive sales tactics to sell penny stocks. It's a gritty look at the darker side of banking and salesmanship.

Fact: The film features cameos from real-life financial figures like Ben Affleck, who plays a stockbroker.

Description: A thriller that follows an Interpol agent and an American attorney as they investigate corruption within a powerful bank. It's a global chase that highlights the dark side of international banking.

Fact: The film features a notable scene where a shootout occurs in the Guggenheim Museum, which was meticulously recreated for the film.

Description: Based on the memoir by Jordan Belfort, this film follows his rise and fall as a stockbroker who engages in rampant corruption and fraud. It's a wild ride through the excesses of the banking world in the '90s.

Fact: The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and is known for its lengthy runtime and numerous scenes of debauchery.

Description: This film provides an insider's look at the 2008 financial crisis, focusing on the bankers and investors who bet against the housing market. It's a must-watch for understanding the complexities of banking and the impact of financial decisions on the economy.

Fact: The film uses unconventional narrative techniques, including breaking the fourth wall, to explain complex financial concepts. It was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning Best Adapted Screenplay.

Description: Set during the early stages of the 2008 financial crisis, this film follows the key players at an investment bank as they navigate through one of the most critical nights in their company's history. It's a tense, real-time drama about the decisions made by bankers.

Fact: The film was inspired by real events at Lehman Brothers, although the characters are fictional. It was shot in just 17 days.

Description: This HBO film dramatizes the events leading up to the financial crisis, focusing on the efforts of Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson to prevent an economic meltdown. It's a detailed look at the high-level banking decisions that affected the world.

Fact: The film was based on Andrew Ross Sorkin's book of the same name, which was praised for its detailed account of the crisis.

Description: This film tells the story of two cousins who attempt to build a fiber-optic cable line between Kansas and New Jersey to gain a millisecond advantage in high-frequency trading. It's a modern tale of ambition in the banking world.

Fact: The film's premise is based on real-life attempts to gain speed advantages in stock trading.

Description: Based on the true story of Nick Leeson, whose unauthorized speculative trading caused the collapse of Barings Bank, this film explores the psychological pressures and ethical lapses in banking.

Fact: Ewan McGregor plays Leeson, and the film was shot in locations where the real events took place.

Description: An Australian thriller that examines the power dynamics within a bank, focusing on a mathematical genius who challenges the bank's unethical practices. It's a thought-provoking film about the moral implications of banking decisions.

Fact: The film was inspired by real-life events involving the manipulation of interest rates by banks.