Steeped in chaos, debauchery and deception, The Wolf of Wall Street is a darkly humorous commentary on the unchecked greed of America's financial institutions.
Legendary director Martin Scorsese knocked it out of the park again, earning five major Oscar nominations and setting an all-time record for the most swearing in a film. Leonardo DiCaprio's portrayal of the rise and fall of young upstart stockbroker Jordan Belfort who becomes corrupted by Wall Street's culture of excess is one of his best roles to date. He's joined by a star-studded cast that includes Matthew McConaughey, whose outlandish, chest-thumping character Mark Hanna became an instant fan-favorite, and Margot Robbie in her breakout role before she became a household name as Harley Quinn and Barbie.
If you're looking for more high-stakes thrills and corporate satire, we've rounded up the best movies like The Wolf of Wall Street available now across the best streaming services. So if you loved "The Wolf of Wall Street," consider adding these flicks to your to-watch list next.
The Big Short
Based on Michael Lewis's non-fiction novel of the same name, The Big Short is a riveting deep dive into the 2008 financial crisis. It particularly focuses on the key players who not only predicted the house market collapse, but profited from the economic meltdown that followed.
The film unfolds across three separate but concurrent storylines, each following hedge fund managers at three investment firms who saw the writing on the wall. Socially awkward but dedicated hedge fund manager Michael Burry (Christian Bale) discovers the market is on the verge of collapse, built on a shaky foundation of subprime mortgage loans and predatory lending practices. The charismatic Jared Vennett (Ryan Gosling) is one of the first to understand Burry's analysis as the ticking time bomb that it is, and he convinces Mark Baum (Steve Carell) to go all in on betting against the housing market.
They're met with resistance and skepticism from their co-workers, who remain unconvinced of the extent of the problem. Ultimately, their predictions come true, and while that spells disaster for the global economy, these three walk away with millions.
Catch Me if You Can
Leonardo DiCaprio is at his best in Catch Me if You Can, a biographical crime comedy-drama from the legendary director Steven Spielberg. He stars as the slippery but endearing con artist Frank Abagnale Jr., a master of forgery, check fraud and impersonation who cons his way into careers as a lawyer, pilot and doctor to support his increasingly lavish lifestyle.
Frank's scams attract the attention of the FBI and agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks), who makes it his mission to hunt him down. As Frank manages to avoid capture through a series of close calls and last-minute escapes, the two develop a mutual respect for each other's skills, with Frank growing to see Carl as the father figure that he never had.
Of course, with the FBI hot on his trail, Frank's luck can't go on forever. Eventually, he walks right into Carl's trap and ends up in prison, which later turns out to be the jumping-off point for a career putting his criminal talents to use as an FBI consultant.
The Founder
You'll never look at McDonald's the same way again after watching The Founder. This riveting biographical drama tells the story of Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton), the shrewd businessman who went from selling milkshake machines to running a global fast-food empire after seeing the potential in a small-town burger joint in San Bernardino, California.
Nick Offerman plays an uncharacteristically soft-spoken role as Richard "Dick" McDonald, one-half of the brother duo, along with John Carroll Lynch's Maurice "Mac" McDonald, behind the original McDonald's restaurant. Ray successfully pitches the idea to franchise their restaurant, and though the relationship starts as amicable, it quickly becomes clear that Ray has bigger ambitions for the franchise than either of them.
Tensions rise as his profit-driven approach clashes with the brothers' commitment to quality. And while Ray ultimately comes out on top, it comes at a tremendous cost to the McDonald brothers and their vision.
Wall Street
The original Wall Street walked so The Wolf of Wall Street could run. Like Leonardo DiCaprio's Jordan Belfort, Charlie Sheen's Bud Fox is an ambitious stockbroker who gets caught up in the seedy underbelly of the financial industry in pursuit of huge payouts.
It all starts when he gets taken under the wing of Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas), a wealthy and ruthless corporate bigwig who isn't afraid to get his hands dirty if it means making a killing. Bud jeopardizes his relationships and integrity as he masters Gordon's unsavory business tactics. But in doing so, he draws the attention of federal investigators, including Agent Carl Fox (Martin Sheen), Bud's own father. As tensions rise, Bud's forced to make a difficult decision: continue down the path of greed and corruption or turn on his mentor and expose Gekko's illegal activities in a last-ditch attempt to reclaim his integrity.
Available to buy/rent on Prime Video
Glengarry Glen Ross
Let's take a break from Wall Street theatrics for a moment and dive into the cutthroat world of real estate. Glengarry Glen Ross, which is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name, follows a group of desperate salesmen as they engage in ruthless competition to close deals and eke out a living amid a high-pressure work culture.
The film begins when four salesmen at a Chicago real estate firm are given a strict ultimatum: the top deal-closers of the month will receive the best leads for prospective clients, while those on the lowest rungs will need to pack up their desks. This kicks off a frantic race to hunt down leads and lock in potential buyers at all costs, even if that means betraying each other and manipulating or intimidating clients. It all comes together in a gripping exploration of the dark side of the American Dream.
Thank You for Smoking
"Thank You for Smoking" is a more satirical bent on the corporate rat race, using dark humor and biting commentary to shed light on the ethical gray areas that emerge when companies prioritize profit over public health.
Before he was going toe-to-toe with Batman as Two-Face, Aaron Eckhart played a different kind of villain in Nick Naylor, the smooth-talking spokesperson for a Big Tobacco lobby. His job is to convince the public there's no link between tobacco and lung disease—and man is he good at it. He plays the media like a fiddle, using his charisma and wit to undermine the increasingly damning body of research into the negative health effects of smoking.
Nick begins to question his role in the Big Tobacco machine as he struggles to moralize his promotion of cigarettes with his desire to be a good father to his son. Thank You For Smoking is a critical examination of the influence between corporate interests, public opinion, and the people behind the scenes helping to manipulate it all.
Available to buy/rent on Prime Video
Margin Call
Like The Big Short, Margin Call centers on the financial institutions behind the 2008 financial crisis, but through a much more focused lens. The story takes place over a 24-hour period during the early stages of the housing bubble burst at a fictional Wall Street investment bank.
Driving the movie is an all-star cast, including Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, and Demi Moore. Zachary Quinto plays Peter Sullivan, a junior risk analyst whose discovery of a troubling trend in the firm's risk exposure kicks off the plot.
As the gravity of the financial crisis becomes clear, Peter and his fellow employees must grapple with the moral and ethical quandaries behind their decisions. While some characters focus on minimizing their personal losses, others worry about the big picture as they're forced to make difficult choices. Margin Call is a tense but compelling exploration of the systemic vulnerabilities and all-too-human motivations that led to the worst financial crisis America's seen since the Great Depression.
