Finance and Economics
A random list of documentaries and films in Finance and Economics that would be interesting and fun to watch for students at Coventry University London Campus' MSc Global Financial Trading programme.
You might not agree with the interpretation of economic theory in all of the documentaries, but it is important in academia and practice to expose yourself to a wide variety of arguments and opinions.
You might not agree with the interpretation of economic theory in all of the documentaries, but it is important in academia and practice to expose yourself to a wide variety of arguments and opinions.
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- DirectorOliver StoneStarsCharlie SheenMichael DouglasTamara TunieAn impatient young stockbroker is willing to do anything to get to the top, including trading on illegal inside information taken through a ruthless, greedy corporate raider who takes the youth under his wing.
- DirectorOliver StoneStarsShia LaBeoufMichael DouglasCarey MulliganNow out of prison but still disgraced by his peers, Gordon Gekko works his future son-in-law, an idealistic stock broker, when he sees an opportunity to take down a Wall Street enemy and rebuild his empire.
- DirectorJames DeardenStarsEwan McGregorAnna FrielCristian SolimenoThe story of Nick Leeson, an ambitious investment broker who singlehandedly bankrupted one of the oldest and most important banks in Britain.
- DirectorCharles FergusonStarsMatt DamonGylfi ZoegaAndri Snær MagnasonTakes a closer look at what brought about the 2008 financial meltdown.
- DirectorJ.C. ChandorStarsZachary QuintoStanley TucciKevin SpaceyFollows the key people at an investment bank over a 24-hour period during the early stages of the 2008 financial crisis.
- DirectorBen YoungerStarsGiovanni RibisiVin DieselNia LongA college dropout, attempting to live up to his father's high standards, gets a job as a broker for a suburban investment firm which puts him on the fast track to success. But the job might not be as legitimate as it first appeared to be.
- DirectorDavid SingtonStarsAndrew LuanRobert ShillerLouis HymanAn examination of the causes of the economic crisis of 2008.
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsJohn BeardTim BeldenBarbara BoxerA documentary about the Enron corporation, its faulty and corrupt business practices, and how they led to its fall.
- DirectorMark AchbarJennifer AbbottStarsMikela JayRob BeckwermertChristopher GoraDocumentary that looks at the concept of the corporation throughout recent history up to its present-day dominance.
- DirectorNorman JewisonStarsDanny DeVitoGregory PeckPenelope Ann MillerA corporate raider buys up shares in an undervalued company and falls in love with the founder's son's lawyer/step daughter. Let the battle begin.
- DirectorCurtis HansonStarsJames WoodsJohn HeardWilliam HurtChronicles the financial meltdown of 2008 and centers on Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.
- DirectorJason ReitmanStarsGeorge ClooneyVera FarmigaAnna KendrickRyan's job is to travel around the country firing off people. When his boss hires Natalie, who proposes firing people via video conference, he tries to convince her that her method is a mistake.
- DirectorSteve BannonStarsMichael BaroneBruce BartlettJohn BoltonAn examination of the causes of the global economic crisis which began in 2008, studying how decades of social changes have influenced financial systems and practices.
- DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreWilliam BlackJimmy CarterAn examination of the social costs of corporate interests pursuing profits at the expense of the public good.
- DirectorNeil BurgerStarsBradley CooperAnna FrielAbbie CornishA mysterious pill that enables the user to access 100% of his brain's abilities transforms a struggling writer into a financial wizard, but it also puts him in a new world with many dangers.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsRussell CroweAbbie CornishAlbert FinneyA British investment broker inherits his uncle's chateau and vineyard in Provence, where he spent much of his childhood. He discovers a new laid-back lifestyle as he tries to renovate the estate to be sold.
- DirectorAdam McKayStarsWill FerrellMark WahlbergDerek JeterTwo mismatched New York City detectives seize an opportunity to step up like the city's top cops, whom they idolize, only things don't quite go as planned.
- DirectorMarcel LangeneggerStarsHugh JackmanEwan McGregorMichelle WilliamsAn accountant is introduced to a mysterious sex club known as The List by his lawyer friend. But in this new world, he soon becomes the prime suspect in a woman's disappearance and a multi-million dollar heist.
- DirectorGlenn JordanStarsJames GarnerJonathan PrycePeter RiegertThe president of a major tobacco company decides to buy the company himself, but a bidding war ensues as other companies make their own offers.
- DirectorChris SmithStarsMichael RuppertA documentary on Michael Ruppert, a police officer turned independent reporter who predicted the current financial crisis in his self-published newsletter, From the Wilderness.
- DirectorPatrick CreadonStarsRobert BixbyHumphrey BogartWarren BuffettFew are aware that America may be on the brink of a financial meltdown. I.O.U.S.A. explores the country's shocking current fiscal condition and ways to avoid a national economic disaster.
- DirectorJohn WellsStarsBen AffleckChris CooperTommy Lee JonesThe story centers on a year in the life of three men trying to survive a round of corporate downsizing at a major company - and how that affects them, their families, and their communities.
- DirectorMartin BorgsStarsJohan NorbergIn times of crisis people seek strong leaders and simple solutions. But what happens when their solutions are identical to the mistakes that caused the very crisis?
- DirectorJean-Stéphane BronStarsRobert KoleFrederick KushenKurtis Rodgers KushenOn 11th January 2008, hired by the City of Cleveland, lawyer Josh Cohen and his team filed a lawsuit against 21 banks, which they held accountable for the wave of foreclosures that had left their city in ruins. Since then, the bankers on Wall Street have been fighting by with all available means to avoid going to court. This film is the story of that trial. A film about a trial that may never be held but in which the facts, the participants and their testimonies are all real: the judge, lawyers, witnesses, even the members of the jury - asked to give their verdict - play their own roles. Step by step, one witness after another, the film takes apart, from a plain, human perspective, the mechanisms of subprime mortgage loans, a system that sent the world economy reeling. A trial for the sake of example, a universal fable about capitalism.
- StarsPat Kenny
- DirectorDanny SchechterJoel SucherStarsNina AdamsDavid AguilarRoy BarnesJust a few decades ago, owing more money than you had in your bank account was the exception, not the rule.
- DirectorDanny SchechterStarsGary AckermanJonathan AlpertBill BamberDocumentarian Danny Schechter explores the financial crisis and argues that it was built on a foundation of criminal activity. To get to the bottom of it all Schechter interviews bankers, economists, and journalists.
- DirectorGary GasgarthStarsMarcus BartonPaul SorvinoThe rise and fall of America's home lending system as told by Wall Street bankers, renowned economists, public officials, industry experts and homeowners themselves, all across the U.S.
- DirectorJohn LandisStarsEddie MurphyDan AykroydRalph BellamyA snobbish investor and a wily street con artist find their positions reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaires.
- DirectorFrank CapraStarsJames StewartDonna ReedLionel BarrymoreAn angel is sent from Heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed.
- DirectorJeffrey HirschbergStarsLisa DeeMarlo DiCrastoDresden EngleTwo destitute women reinvent themselves by opening hundreds of pre-approved credit cards, hoping their hoax leads to happiness.
- DirectorJames D. ScurlockStarsBeth NaefMike HudsonLouis C.K.When Hurricane Katrina ravaged America's Gulf Coast, it laid bare an uncomfortable reality-America is not only far from the world's wealthiest nation; it is crumbling beneath a staggering burden of individual and government debt. Maxed Out takes us on a journey deep inside the American debt-style, where everything seems okay as long as the minimum monthly payment arrives on time. Sure, most of us may have that sinking feeling that something isn't quite right, but we're told not to worry. After all, there's always more credit! Maxed Out shows how the modern financial industry really works, explains the true definition of "preferred customer" and tells us why the poor are getting poorer and the rich getting richer. By turns hilarious and profoundly disturbing, Maxed Out paints a picture of a national nightmare which is all too real for most of us.
- DirectorRobert GreenwaldStarsLee ScottDon HunterJon HunterA look at the impact of the retail giant on local communities.
- StarsNiall FergusonGareth ArmstrongRichard LinternNiall Ferguson takes us on a historical adventure through the ascent of money, applying fact and opinion throughout.
- DirectorRon HowardStarsRussell CroweEd HarrisJennifer ConnellyA mathematical genius, John Nash made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a harrowing journey of self-discovery.
- DirectorMichael SamuelsStarsCorey JohnsonJames CromwellDavid AnnenThe heads of Wall Street's biggest investment banks were summoned to an evening meeting by the US Treasury Secretary, Hank Paulson, to discuss the plight of another - Lehman Brothers. After six months' turmoil in the world's financial markets, Lehman Brothers was on life support and the government was about to pull the plug. Lehman CEO, Dick Fuld, recently sidelined in a boardroom coup, spends the weekend desperately trying to resuscitate his beloved company through a merger with Bank of America or UK-based Barclays. But without the financial support of Paulson and Lehman's fiercest competitors, Fuld's empire - and with it, the stability of the world economy - teeters on the verge of extinction.
- DirectorMichael KirkStarsNick AshoohSheila BairBill BamberFrontline investigates the 2008 economic meltdown and offers an inside look at what caused the crisis and who, if anyone, could have stopped it.
- DirectorUtpal ChoudhuryStarsRachana ChuletBiplab Kumar DasBhupen GoswamiIn September 2008 Lehman Brothers collapsed in the US. That altered the lives of Munna - a teenage boy in a Mumbai slum - and his sister and old father.
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsEliot SpitzerAlex GibneyHulbert WaldroupAn in-depth look at the rise and fall of New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, including interviews with the scandalized, former politician.
- DirectorRobert KennerStarsMichael PollanEric SchlosserRichard LobbAn unflattering look inside America's corporate controlled food industry.
- DirectorLeslie CockburnStarsBen BernankeSheila DixonPhil GrammThis documentary takes a look at how the Wall Street meltdown has affected the working class.
- DirectorSusan SaladoffStarsChuck AllenJudy AllenJay AngoffHow the infamous McDonald's hot coffee lawsuit and similar cases were exploited as part of a right wing crusade to weaken civil justice.
- DirectorJeff ProssermanStarsBernie MadoffFrank CaseyGaytri KachrooA look at how one investigator spent ten years trying to expose Bernie Madoff's massive Ponzi scheme that scammed an estimated $18 billion from investors.
- The story of Bernie Madoff, his colossal confidence scam and how it both reflected and contributed to the 2008 economic crash.
- DirectorAris ChatzistefanouKaterina KitidiStarsSamir AminHugo AriasAlain BadiouDebtocracy seeks the causes of the Greek debt crisis and proposes solutions sidelined by the government and the dominant media. It follows countries like Ecuador that created debt Audit Commissions and tracks this process in Greece.
- DirectorPaul GrignonStarsBob BossinThe monetary systems practiced through modern banking.
- DirectorWilliam T. StillStarsWilliam T. StillThe Money Masters is a 1996 documentary film that discusses the concepts of money, debt, taxes, and describes their development from biblical times onward.
- DirectorErwin WagenhoferStarsMark MobiusMirko KovatsK. Sujatha RaajuMost of us don't know where their money is. However, one thing is for certain, it's is not in the bank to which we entrusted it. The bank and our money is already a part of the cycle of the global money market.
- StarsDavid Ogden StiersDick CheneyNewt GingrichThe people, ideas, and events that created our current world economy.
- DirectorMat WhitecrossMichael WinterbottomStarsJanine HuardEwen CameronNaomi KleinAn investigation of "disaster capitalism", based on Naomi Klein's proposition that neo-liberal capitalism feeds on natural disasters, war and terror to establish its dominance.
- DirectorPhilippe DiazStarsMartin SheenAmartya SenJohn PerkinsA phenomenal discourse on why poverty exists when there is so much wealth in the world. A must see for anyone wanting to understand not only the US economic system but the foundations of today's global economy.
- DirectorHeidi EwingAlex GibneySeth GordonStarsJames RansoneTempestt BledsoeMorgan SpurlockA collection of documentaries that explores the hidden side of human nature through the use of the science of economics.
- DirectorMarc H. SimonBobby LeighStarsMarc DreierBobby LeighA documentary on Marc Dreier, the once-prominent Manhattan attorney who was arrested for orchestrating a massive fraud scheme that netted over 700 million dollars from hedge funds.
- DirectorColin BuckseyStarsPaul McGannRebecca De MornayDerrick O'ConnorThe London branch of Whitney Paine, a major American investment bank, is in the midst of a crisis; after the loss of $100 million, one of their leading traders, Tony Eisner commits suicide by putting a slug through his head while seated at his place in the board room. Despite the high stakes, many of the firm's staff are eager to step into Tony's now-vacated shoes and get credit for saving the company. Daniel Pascoe, the leading trader at the firm, is convinced that he's first in line for the assignment, but the firm imports a new trader from America, Anna Schuman. Daniel is enraged and makes a point of trying to dig up as much dirt on Anna as he can, but things are going to take another turn.
- DirectorSteven SoderberghStarsMatt DamonTony HalePatton OswaltThe U.S. government decides to go after an agro-business giant with a price-fixing accusation, based on the evidence submitted by their star witness, vice president-turned-informant Mark Whitacre.
- DirectorMichael MannStarsRussell CroweAl PacinoChristopher PlummerA research chemist comes under personal and professional attack when he decides to appear in a 60 Minutes exposé on Big Tobacco.
- DirectorRichard KwietniowskiStarsPhilip Seymour HoffmanMinnie DriverJohn HurtA bank manager with: (a) a gambling problem and (b) access to a multimillion dollar account gets into a messy situation. Based on the story of the largest one-man bank fraud in Canadian history.
- DirectorRichard QuineStarsJudy HollidayJohn WilliamsPaul DouglasA minority stockholder takes on the crooked board of directors at a billion dollar corporation.
- DirectorArthur HillerStarsLee RemickJames GarnerPhil HarrisA big-time Texas wheeler-dealer (who's actually Ivy league-educated, but plays dumb) runs out of money, and goes to New York City to raise $1.2 million.
- DirectorMike NicholsStarsMelanie GriffithHarrison FordSigourney WeaverWhen a secretary's idea is stolen by her boss, she seizes an opportunity to steal it back by pretending she has her boss' job.
- DirectorBennett MillerStarsBrad PittRobin WrightJonah HillOakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to assemble a baseball team on a lean budget by employing computer-generated analysis to acquire new players.
- DirectorMalcolm ClarkStarsStan JonasRobert C. MertonMerton MillerFor over a hundred years economists had dreamed of a way of reducing risk in the stock market. Two Nobel Prize winning economists found a formula which it seemed did exactly that- only for a roiling crisis to sweep through the markets, leaving their new hedge fund almost broke
- DirectorAustin ChickStarsJosh HartnettNaomie HarrisAdam ScottAugust centers on two brothers fighting to keep their start-up company afloat on Wall Street during August 2001, a month before the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
- StarsBill PatersonAl JolsonThe major causes and the consequences of the humankinds greatest economic depression.
- DirectorRobert ConnollyStarsDavid WenhamAnthony LaPagliaSibylla BuddThe Bank is a thriller about banking, corruption and alchemy.
- DirectorJames Allen SmithStarsBobby AnsaniJeff AnsaniRon BeebeFor some people, risking everything is nothing.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsLeonardo DiCaprioJonah HillMargot RobbieBased on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stock-broker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government.
- DirectorNicholas JareckiStarsRichard GereSusan SarandonBrit MarlingA troubled hedge fund magnate desperate to complete the sale of his trading empire makes an error that forces him to turn to an unlikely person for help.
- DirectorChristoph HochhäuslerStarsNicolette KrebitzRobert Hunger-BühlerMark WaschkeSteve recently moved to Frankfurt for work. His wife is a stranger in the new city, bored and vulnerable. She meets her husband's boss who is going through some big events in his life as well. They start to have an affair.
- DirectorMarc BauderStarsRainer VossAngela MerkelA former banker in Germany, who entered the business with the advent of modern computer systems reminisces of his working years in some of the world-leading banking corporations.