Top 10 Must-Watch Movies About Trading
Have you ever wondered which movies about trading are the best you can watch these days? Which films have stood out as the most interesting for experienced traders and those who are just starting?
It’s no wonder that the world of finance has always been an excellent inspiration for cinema and filmmakers worldwide. It’s extraordinary when a finance enthusiast finds an ideal movie about trading stocks that he can enjoy while learning something useful!
Whether you’re looking for a great the best stock market movies offer a gripping look into the financial industry, from the chaos of floor traders to the strategies behind a pump and dump. They bring to life the tension of a margin call and the drama of fluctuating stock prices.
#10 Rogue Trader (1999)
Rogue Trader is a biographical drama that tells the story of a trader and former derivatives broker, Nick Lessons, who single-handedly caused the Barings Bank’s insolvency.
The Barings Bank is known as the second-oldest merchant bank in the whole world.
As quickly as he managed to rise on the Singapore trading floor, Leeson blew up, hiding huge losses in hidden accounts from his superiors.
Eventually, it led to the “mother of all failed trades” on a short straddle position on the Nikkei.
All results in one giant sigma movie that’s interesting to watch!
Even though the Rogue Trader movie is entertaining, Lesson’s story is a fantastic lesson in financial oversight and risk management!
- Written and directed by: James Dearden
- Based on the book called “Rogue Trader: How I Brought Down Barings Bank and Shook the Financial World” by Edward Whitley and Nick Leeson
- Release year: 1999
- Country: United Kingdom
- Box office: £969,565 (UK sub-total)
#9 The Big Short (2015)
One of the best stock market movies based on a true story. The Big Short represents an American biographical drama based on “The Big Short” book. The movie is about a few savvy traders who are the first to become aware of the housing bubble that initiated the financial crisis back in 2007 and 2008.
This movie gained extreme popularity because of its clever way of breaking down sophisticated financial instruments in an exciting way.
For example, a singer Selena Gomez explains what synthetic CDOs are at a poker table, while Margot Robbie explains what mortgage-backed bonds are in a bathtub drinking champagne
In this movie, you’ll see some of the biggest movie superstars such as Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, and others in supporting roles.
- Directed by: Adam McKay
- Written by: Charles Randolph and Adam McKay
- Release year: 2015
- Based on: Michael Lewis’s “The Big Short”
- Country: United States
- Box office: $133.4 million
#8 American Psycho (2000)
American Psycho represents an independent horror movie from 2000 that follows Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale), a New York City investment banker who is also a serial killer.
This satirical movie blends both black comedy and horror to mock the consumerism and yuppie culture of the 1980s by Bateman.
Even though there’s little actual finance in “American Psycho,” this movie sheds light on finance’s elite class and their surreal world and the utter disconnect with reality and among themselves.
- Directed and written by: Mary Harron
- Based on: Bret Easton Ellis’s”American Psycho”
- Release year: 2000
- Country: United States, Canada
- Box office: $34.3 million
#7 Trading Places (1983)
Trading Places is a movie from 1983 that features Eddie Murphy as a streetwise con artist who two older men trick to become the manager of a commodities trading firm, replacing a blue-blooded executive who Dan Aykroyd plays.
Even though the actual trading isn’t focused, the final 15 minutes of this movie show a true and accurate depiction of a furious trading session. Without showing all the details, the ending scene is worth the price of admission. However, Trading Places is a must-watch movie with the supporting cast, great “80s vibe,” and fantastic acting!
- Directed by: John Landis
- Written by: Timothy Harris, Herschel Weingrod
- Release year: 1983
- Country: United States
- Box office: $120.6 million
#6 Boiler Room (2000)
Boiler Room, the American crime drama from 2000, is considered one of the best movies about trading. The idea was conceived when the screenwriter Ben Younger interviewed for job at Sterling Foster brokerage.
The film follows a college dropout attempting to live up to his father’s high standards. He gets a job as a broker for one suburban investment firm and quickly gains success. However, the job isn’t as legitimate as it appeared to be in the first place.
It’s a movie that serves as a warning for those who are getting ready to invest in the stock market, to stick to transparency and follow the adage, “If it seems too good to be true, then it is.” This movie about trading in stocks was nominated for several awards.
- Directed and written by: Ben Younger
- Release year: 2000
- Country: United States
- Box office: $28 million
#5 Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
Glengarry Glen Ross is an exciting big-screen adaptation of a David Mamet play and, perhaps, one of the most extraordinary movies about trading.
It focuses on a team of downtrodden real-estate salesmen whose morals have been utterly breakable after years of working for an evil company.
It demonstrates the underhanded tactics and greed that sales positions are exposed to. In addition to that, Glengarry Glen Ross’s movie shows the pressure that superiors exert on salespeople.
Even though the entire cast is top-notch, with Al Pacino in the leading role, Alec Baldwin’s motivational speech steals the show, bringing the best and worst faces of working under tremendous pressure.
- Directed by: James Foley
- Written by: David Mamet
- Release year: 1992
- Country: United States
- Box office: $10.7 million
#4 Bazaar (2018)
Bazaar is one of the best movies about trading stocks and one of India’s best movies about insider trading. It is based on a stock trader’s life. In this thriller-drama movie, Rizwan, hired for his trading skills, gets entangled in Insider trading and corrupt networks.
Being a stock market-related movie, Bazaar provides a great insight into what it takes to work in this dynamic field called the Stock market. Thus, it’s no wonder that it gained so much popularity in India and worldwide.
- Directed by: Gauravv K. Chawla
- Written by: Parveez Sheikh and Aseem Arora
- Release year: 2018
- Country: India
#3 Money Monster (2016)
Money Monster from 2016 represents an American crime thriller starring Julia Roberts and George Clooney. It follows a financial television host Lee Gates and his producer, Patty Fenn, who are both in the following extreme situation: an irate investor and their crew as a hostage.
Once, a man named Budwell loses all of his savings due to the advice of a financial expert on a TV show. He gets after the expert and his crew as hostages to get answers about the fall of the stock.
This movie drives home the message that blindly following so-called market experts is not wise nor recommended. It’s one of the best movies about trading with stocks that even financial experts recommend watching.
- Directed by: Jodie Foster
- Written by: Jamie Linden, Alan Di Fiore, Jim Kouf
- Story by: Alan Di Fiore, Jim Kouf
- Release year: 2016
- Country: United States
- Box office: $93.3 million
#2 The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
The Wolf of Wall Street from 2013, starring Leonardo Di Caprio, is one of the best movies about trading and Wall Street in general. It is a biographical crime black comedy movie about high frequency trading based on Jordan Belfort’s 2007 memoir.
It recounts his perspective of his stockbroker career in New York City and how his company, Stratton Oakmont, has committed fraud and rampant corruption, which led to his downfall. Leonardo DiCaprio, besides acting, also produced the movie.
- Directed by: Martin Scorsese
- Written by: Terence Winter
- Based on Jordan Belford’s “The Wolf of Wall Street”
- Release year: 2013
- Country: United States
- Box office: $392 million
#1 The Wolf of Wall Street (1987)
The Wolf of Wall Street was a 1987 drama film directed by Oliver Stone, starring Michael Douglas, Charlie Sheen, Martin Sheen, and Daryl Hannah. The movie is about Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen), a young stockbroker who is getting involved with Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas), a wealthy and unscrupulous corporate raider.
Bud Fox, an ambitious stockbroker who wants to get as fast as he can, admires Gekko, who becomes his mentor and provides him with insider trading. What happens to be the game’s name in this non-fiction film was “Greed.”
Oliver Stone made this movie as a tribute to Lou Stone, his father, who was a stockbroker during the Great Depression. The Wolf of Wall Street from 1987 won an Oscar and was nominated for a few other awards.
- Directed and written by: Oliver Stone
- Release year: 1987
- Country: United States
- Box office: $43.8 million
Conclusion
The best movies about trading offer a gripping look into the financial industry, from the chaos of floor traders to the strategies behind a pump and dump. They bring to life the tension of a margin call and the drama of fluctuating stock prices. Films like “Barbarians at the Gate” and “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” delve into real-life events, including the 2008 financial crisis, showcasing the highs and lows of the trading world. Through their compelling narratives, these movies provide valuable insights into the complexities and exhilarations of financial trading.
