If you want more movies like The Big Short that are intelligent, shine the light on corruption, and revolve around Wall St and other scandals, you’re in the right place!
Adam McKay’s The Big Short was a best picture nominee at the Oscars in 2015 and it had every right to be there. Backed by a powerful cast of Gosling, Carrel, Bale, and Pitt, The Big Short is a faithful retelling of 2008’s mortgage loan crisis.
So if you’re looking for more movies like The Big Short, check out this list!
10 Financial Scandal Movies Like The Big Short
1. Margin Call (2011)
A young banker in risk management discovers an inevitable financial disaster late at night. All the concerned people come together in a room and try to figure a way out in 24 hours.
J.C. Chandor’s Margin Call is a skillfully crafted drama about money, greed, and human lives stuck in between. Zachary Quinto and Kevin Spacey along with the rest of the cast churn out a solid performance in a tale that becomes much bigger than a financial crisis.
Movies like The Big Short and Margin Call anticipates the major crisis that can rock the foundation of an industry and people by hook or crook trying to make the most out of it.
2. Wall Street (1987)
A young and ambitious stockbroker finds a mentor in a powerful and successful Wall Street hustler. He learns the secrets of the inner circle leading to a complete abolishment of morality and truth.
Oliver Stone’s Wall Street is a fantastic depiction of the 80s wall street driven by a single motto – ‘Greed is good’. Charlie Sheen and Michael Douglas give solid performances in it.
Just like The Big Short, Wall Street deals with the world where morality is a liability, and making money at any cost is a virtue.
3. Boiler Room (2000)
A young man convinced to prove his father wrong joins a brokerage firm where he gets a knack for this line of work. As money starts pouring in, greed, love, and morality clash, exposing a seedy business.
Ben Younger’s Boiler Room is an intense movie focusing on the overarching theme of moral choices in the lucrative world of power and money.
A major part of The Big Short focuses on the absolute lack of morality in a group of men as they exploit a financial tragedy, something that is also shown in the Boiler Room.
4. Spotlight (2015)
The investigative journalism wing of The Boston Globe unearths a series of evidence and decides to act on it, a move that can potentially change the Catholic church and the government’s image forever.
Tom McCarthy’s Spotlight is an unapologetic depiction of the evils of society and how religion and the government come together to bury their scandalous endeavors. Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, and Rachel McAdams give spotless performances as people pushing against the corrupted enemy.
Both The Big Short and Spotlight battled it out in the 2015 Oscar with Spotlight coming out on top. Even though Spotlight isn’t about wall street, the investigative journalism, corruption, and horrific deeds of man are ably portrayed in it.
5. Enron: Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)
Enron: Smartest Guys in the Room chronicles the rise and fall of Enron, one of the biggest energy companies in the world, and the lines they crossed to get to the top.
This Alex Gibney directorial is technically a documentary, but it deserved a spot on this list as it explores the shady business tactics employed by the people at the top leaving an unimaginable wake behind them.
Similar to The Big Short, Enron: Smartest Guys in the Room is all about the thirst for money and power, and a tragedy that ruined the lives of many.
6. Too Big to Fail (2011)
Dissecting the backstage of 2008’s financial crisis, Too Big to Fail shades light on Henry Paulson and his attempt to secure a solution for the economic disaster.
Curtis Hanson’s Too Big to Fail is an engrossing political thriller that fictionalized the events of 2008. Thanks to a solid background score, the sleepless nights at wall street will scare you.
Movies like The Big Short and Too Big to Fail provide a closer look at the inner workings of finance and how horrific one misstep can be.
7. The Insider (1999)
Based on the real chain of events that transpired in 1968, The Insider exposes the malpractices of the tobacco companies further complicated by CBS.
The year when it came out, Michael Mann’s The Insider was an Academy darling for all the right reasons. Boosted by performances of Al Pacino and Russell Crowe, the movie takes an objective stance while intensely retelling the 1968 fiasco.
Both The Big Short and The Insider put men in front of moments of moral and financial crises, crises where the concept of truth becomes murky.
8. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
Arguably the most famous movie on this list, The Wolf of Wall Street traces the extraordinary rise of financial broker Jordan Belfort and his tragic fall soon after.
Martin Scorsese was at his wackiest best in depicting the highly fragile world of brokerage in The Wolf of Wall Street. DiCaprio perfectly portrayed the flamboyance of Belfort while Jonah Hill’s Azoff gave solid support.
Movies like The Big Short and The Wolf of Wall Street go deep into the volatile world of finances and explore the greed that reigns the world.
9. Inside Job (2010)
Viewers who felt Paulson’s role being whitewashed in Too Big to Fail, get another comprehensive look at the 2008 financial crisis with Inside Job.
Headed by Matt Damon, Charles Ferguson’s grounded depiction of the global financial crisis is without any sensationalization of events or idolization of any character.
Just like The Big Short, Inside Job never shies away from exploring the crooked nature of politics aiming to exploit a tragedy for personal gain.
10. Vice (2018)
Vice sheds light on Dick Cheney, vice president to George W. Bush whose personal and political decisions while being in power changed the world as we know today.
McKay’s Vice attempts to be a realistic take on Cheney’s controversial political career that spanned between the good, the bad, and the ugly. Christian Bale freakishly slides into the shoes of Cheney and gives a flawless performance.
Movies like The Big Short and Vice bear testament to Adam McKay’s sheer talent of delving deep into the world of politics and bureaucracy and managing to execute thrilling dramas out of them.