“It’s easy to get in but hard to get out!” – said Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko about trading in the film “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps”.
You hear these and other market sayings in various films that try to tell curious viewers about life on Wall Street, among investment bankers and traders. Of course these films do not reflect reality 100 %, but they are often very well made and, even though they are not action films, they keep the interested market enthusiast glued to the screen with a bag of popcorn.
Here is a selection of films (trailers) that in my opinion every trader should have seen. If you know other good finance films that are not listed here, feel free to leave a comment.
The classic…“Wall Street” from 1987
Director: Oliver Stone
Starring: Michael Douglas, Charlie Sheen
Plot:
A young, ambitious stockbroker gets close to the ruthless corporate raider Gordon Gekko and is drawn step by step into insider trading – until he has to decide whose side he is on.
“Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” from 2010
Director: Oliver Stone
Starring: Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf
Plot:
After years in prison, Gordon Gekko returns to a Wall Street on the brink of the 2008 financial crisis and joins forces with his daughter’s fiancé, a young trader out for revenge.
“Boiler Room” from 2000
Director: Ben Younger
Starring: Vin Diesel, Ben Affleck, Giovanni Ribisi
Plot:
A college dropout joins a brokerage firm that promises fast money and gradually realises that its aggressive cold-calling sales are built on fraud.
“Rogue Trader” from 1999
Director: James Dearden
Starring: Ewan McGregor
Plot:
Based on the true story of Nick Leeson, whose hidden losses in Singapore brought down Barings, Britain’s oldest merchant bank, in 1995.
“The Big Short” from 2015
Director: Adam McKay
Starring: Christian Bale, Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling
Plot:
A handful of outsiders recognise early on that the US housing market is a bubble and bet against it – long before the 2008 crisis proves them right.
“Margin Call” from 2011
Director: J.C. Chandor
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Demi Moore
Plot:
Over one night at an investment bank, a young analyst discovers that the firm’s positions could wipe it out, and the management has to decide how to get rid of the risk.
“The Wolf of Wall Street” from 2013
Director: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Matthew McConaughey
Plot:
The rise and fall of stockbroker Jordan Belfort, whose firm made a fortune with aggressive sales tactics and fraud in the 1990s.
“Inside Job” from 2010
Director: Charles H. Ferguson
Narrated by Matt Damon, with Bill Ackman among others
Plot:
An Oscar-winning documentary about the causes of the 2008 financial crisis and the role played by banks, rating agencies, regulators and economists.
Sources
Video links: YouTube
Descriptions: my own short summaries
Best wishes
Gabor
