The recent release of Ben Affleck’s The Accountant 2 along with its predecessor are among the few exceptions to my belief that films that deal with finance focus primarily on times of turmoil or excess. While The Accountant franchise twists the relatively staid world of forensic accounting into a dangerous and exciting plot, most films about finance hew closer to reality with fewer to no guns and explosions. Despite the lack of fireworks, there are more than a few compelling finance movies that could provide a welcome respite from the usual summer blockbuster fare featuring superheroes and dinosaurs.
Below are three of my favorite “palate cleansers” from the last 25 years along with a few honorable mentions. The viewing details are from JustWatch as of July 9, 2025, for viewers in the U.S. All of the films are available to rent or buy on Apple TV, Amazon Video, and other online stores.
Margin Call (2011) – My favorite finance film and arguably the best movie based on the 2008 global financial crisis, Margin Call, focuses on the collapse of the mortgage-backed securities (MBS) market that kicked off the crisis. The movie covers a two-day period at a fictional investment bank where an analyst’s discovery of the bank’s overexposure to the MBS market turns management and its strategy upside down. The film’s ensemble cast is top-notch with great performances from Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, and Demi Moore. Despite being dialogue-driven and filled with meetings, Margin Call is a tense examination of high finance and the tolls it extracts from all of its participants. Available to stream for free with ads on Plex or for free on Kanopy and Hoopla with a participating public library membership.
The Big Short (2015) – Probably the most famous and viewed movie about the global financial crisis, The Big Short also revolves around the MBS market but from the side of the traders that benefited from its collapse. Based upon Micheal Lewis’s book of the same name, the movie does a great job of making complex topics accessible and is genuinely funny, a rarity in the genre. Though the treatment of the main characters veers a little too far towards hero worship, it is still worth watching this Oscar-winning film featuring Brad Pitt, Steve Carrell, and Christian Bale. Available to stream on Hoopla.
Boiler Room (2000) – Instead of dealing with the global financial crisis, Boiler Room centers around a more prosaic and common finance problem – pump-and-dump stock scams. The movie provides an inside look at not only the firms and the people that run the scams but also the costs they impose on clients and others caught up in their wake. Starring a number of young actors at the start of their long careers (Vin Diesel, Giovanni Ribisi, and Ben Affleck), Boiler Room nails the atmosphere, camaraderie, and ultimately, emptiness, of a high-pressure financial sales culture. Unlike The Wolf of Wall Street, the film doesn’t glorify the con man at the heart of the scam, which makes it more palatable. Available to stream on Kanopy or for free with ads on Plex.
Honorable mentions
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) – A well-made and fun-to-watch Scorsese film about one of the kings of pump-and-dump stock scams that ends up falling into the hero worship trap. Streaming on Paramount+, Kanopy, and Hoopla.
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005) – A great documentary about the energy company that acted more like a crooked investment scheme. Streaming on Prime Video, Kanopy, and Hoopla and for free with ads on Plex and the Roku Channel.
