25 Finance & Business Movies for Fall
102: Arbitrage Andy's Fall Film Recommendations
Good evening kings, lords, and aspiring size gods.
We’ve had a high amount of demand for a rough list of the best Wall Street and business movies you can find out there.
Now in the gross bear market is probably a great time to run back through the classics and find something new so we’ve compiled a list of just that.
Some of these you’ve likely heard of and some I highly doubt you have but we aimed to compile our best well rounded list of movies and documentaries that cover Wall Street, finance, and capitalism.
There are 100’s of documentaries but certain ones stand out alongside many of the well known movies that cover the subjects of high or not so high finance.
Now this list of course has the Arbitrage Andy and Arb Letter flair, which, if you’ve been following us for some time includes focuses on the CIA, drug running, illicit business, government black ops, war, conflict, arms dealing, and tax evasion, among other things.
I consider all of these films and documentaries as staples for any serious aspiring size lord.
Remember these are in no particular order and the list includes 15 picks, including:
9 mostly Wall Street and business movies
4 Finance/Business themed Documentaries
2 CIA/Black Ops/War focused movies we like
10 Honorable Mentions (movies and documentaries) towards the end
While we cover some of the classics, I can assure you there are films and documentaries in here that you have not seen before and would likely enjoy so we’ve compiled this list by crowdsourcing as well as looking at some more niche films/docs ourselves over the years.
This list is comprehensive and includes pieces that will teach you as much as they will entertain and inspire you.
The documentaries in particular are table stakes pieces to watch and digest if you are wanting to break into finance, business, or sales but mostly this list is for pure entertainment as we move into the colder months.
Bored from the incessant bear markets and global chaos that seemingly runs our lives right now?
Take a break, kick back, and dive into some of our favorite media that spans business, Wall Street, intelligence agencies, drug trafficking, conflicts, emerging markets, and war.
If you guys are anything like me, you find it hard to disconnect or slow down during the work week - hopefully this brings some much needed entertainment and leisure during these wild markets and times.
Finance & Business Titles
Wolf of Wall Street
What list would be complete without Martin Scorceses’ absolute masterpiece on Jordan Belfort and Stratton Oakmont. The film that glorified office parties, excessive amounts of narcotics, prostitutes, and ponzi schemes on Wall Street.
This film was so absurd it inspired swaths of 20 something college kids to move to NY and try to replicate the lifestyle portrayed in the film or turn into mini boiler room brokers in college, wearing vests, using the library’s Bloomberg Terminal, and trying to seek out Qualudes from homeless men off campus or your buddies dad who was a doctor from Harvard.
Margot Robbie is reason enough to watch this film, but the iconic Donnie Aizoff, Yacht Parties, Car scenes, and epic downfall of Jordan Belfort is a Wall Street staple for all of those looking to sell, profit, scheme, and degenerate like never before.
I like rewatching it every year or so because you always notice something different or a scene you missed because let’s be honest it’s a longer movie at just about 3 hours - classic Scorcese.
The clothes, locations, buildings, offices, shoes, everything is excess and high class and DeCaprio absolutely murders his role alongside some other acting heavyweights.
Deal Sleds, strippers in the office, monkeys, FBI agents, and gaudy waspy new England outfits meet jersey trash with a hilarious cast and highly memorable scenes like the first Hampton’s party, the FBI Yacht Scene, and the Swiss Banking Scene.
Great movie to throw on a large screen TV at a darty to set the mood while you blare music and a great movie to watch if you’re in Amagansett or South Hampton about to really get after it and rage your face off later in the evening.
“My name is Jordan Belfort. The year I turned 26, I made 49 million dollars, which really pissed me off because it was three shy of a million a week.”
– Jordan Belfort
Margin Call
If you work in finance, sale, or trading and haven’t seen this movie, shame on you sir. Margin Call is a relatively quiet and somber film compared to the infamous Wolf of Wall Street or even the original with Charlie Sheen, Wall Street, but that doesn’t mean it lacks intensity and thrilling scenes in a movie depicting the 2008 financial crisis.
The film features a young associate who gets tangled in a discovery by a Risk Management employee at a major investment bank.
Historical volatility levels and over leverage in mortgage-backed securities don’t mix well and we watch as a major crisis and realization starts to trickle throughout this firm in all through the night and into early morning.
This film could trigger some people given I imagine some of the same “culling” and suspicious layoffs begin as we potentially approach a much larger financial reckoning in real life.
Watch this one with a partner, colleague, or friend who understands at least the basics about companies, business, and Wall Street/2008 crisis. Likely good paired with some solid wine or liquor units.
So, what you're telling me, is that the music is about to stop, and we're going to be left holding the biggest bag of odorous excrement ever assembled in the history of capitalism (John Tuld)
Sir, I not sure that I would put it that way, but let me clarify using your analogy. What this model shows is the music, so to speak, just slowing. If the music were to stop, as you put it, then this model wouldn't even be close to that scenario. It would be considerably worse (Peter Sullivan)
There Will be Blood
There will be blood is one of my absolutely favorite movies because of the raw glimpse it gives into the themes of capitalism, greed, and consequence.
This is the film that birthed the internet sensation of the milkshake meme. I will let you find out why on your own in this oil drenched tale of betrayal, riches, and capitalistic gluttony.
This film follows a traveling prospector and his son in the early days of the oil seeking business and all of the things he is willing to do to expand his empire and ensure he becomes fabulously wealthy. Definitely one you want to sit back and watch with a nice scotch or whiskey unit or a nice cigar that you imported illegally from below the equator.
I won’t ruin the story but basically this guy’s an absolute money hungry psycho. Some interesting side themes of Religion, Trust, and Family as well.
Can’t recommend this one enough.
This film can get pretty intense at times with the sneaky and cunning main character Daniel and it is remarkably graphic and raw, but you can’t help but like the villain. A truly remarkable film at mixing morality, principles, and business or deciding not to mix them at all.
Imagine for a second if you lived back in the 1800’s/1900’s when you could show up somewhere and legitimately be the first to get dibs on a natural resource or asset.
*Warning* This movie will make you want to go start a beaver pelt or oil empire.
I Have A Competition In Me. I Want No One Else To Succeed.
—Daniel Plainview