16 Awesome Movies Like The Wolf of Wall Street 2023

The Wolf of Wall Street was not only a monster hit when released in 2013, but one of the best movies of the year. Loved by both critics and fans, it’s an easy call to say movies like The Wolf of Wall Street don’t come around often.

Based on the true story of  Jordan Belfort (an incredible Leonardo DiCaprio, who won Best Actor at the Academy Awards for his performance), a stockbroker turned criminal, this movie has it all. 

Belfort begins life working on Wall Street for a well-respected brokerage firm before his love of the stockbroker drug culture sees him out on his ass and having to start again. He rebuilds his career at a small firm where he makes enough money to start his own company. Roping in his neighbor Donnie Azoff (Jonah Hill), the two turn Stratton Oakmont into one of the most profitable stockbroking firms in America. The only problem is the firm is defrauding Wall Street and its customers while they make bank. 

Belfort ends up divorcing his wife and marrying Naomi Lapaglia (Margot Robbie) and becomes fully entrenched in the cocaine lifestyle afforded to him by his deception. As his firm makes bigger sales and Belfort’s public persona rises, the SEC and the FBI close in. Belfort is forced to make a decision on whether to turn on his employees and save his own skin or risk it all for one final score. 

Directed by Martin Scorsese and with stand-out performances from the likes of DiCaprio, Hill, Robbie, Kyle Chandler, Jon Bernthal, and Matthew McConaughey, The Wolf of Wall Street is everything you want in a real-life crime caper.

If you’re looking to watch similar movies to this one, here’s a list of 16 awesome movies like The Wolf of Wall Street you’ll also love. 

20 Awesome Movies Like The Wolf of Wall Street

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1. Wall Street (1987)

“Greed, for lack of a better word, is good,” urges Wall Street player Gordon Gecko (Michael Douglas) in Olive Stone’s 80s classic. Very similar to Belfont, Gecko is a ruthless trader who is only in it for himself. He takes young stockbroker Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) under his wing and shows him how to cheat the system. 

At first enamored with the high-flying lifestyle he’s become part of, Fox finds his conscious and must make a decision between ripping off others or doing the right thing. Both Sheen and Douglas are incredible, but it’s Douglas who really stands out, with his performance as the shady Gecko earning him an Academy Award for best actor. Wall Street is the reason Belfont got into stocks and makes for a great double bill with The Wolf of Wall Street. 

2. Bolier Room (2000)

An underrated gem that follows a similar plot to The Wolf of Wall Street, this is a film Jordon Belfont would love. Boiler Room finds Giovanni Ribisi’s college dropout going to a New York brokerage firm and looking to get rich quick. As is the case with these types of dramas, he soon realizes what he is doing is illegal and must make a choice between his new lifestyle and a prison cell. 

Along with a fantastic script by Ben Younger, who also makes his directing debut with Boiler Room, it’s the cast of young up-and-coming actors that really makes this movie great. Joining Ribisi are Vin Diesel, Scott Cann, Tom Everett Scott, Nia Young, and a scene-stealing Ben Affleck. Boiler Room is a tightly scripted thriller that takes you deep inside the bowls of dodgy stockbrokers and is well worth a watch.

3. Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)

An adaptation of David Mamet’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Glengarry Glen Ross has an all-star cast duking it out in another 90s gem. Four real estate agents are pressured to make more sales, with the two worst salesmen getting the sack. Taking place over two days, this wordy drama finds the men doing anything they can to make the big sales. 

What makes this movie great, besides Mamet’s stylish dialogue that’s full of vulgar swearing, is the ensemble cast. Jack Lemmon, Alex Baldwin, Alan, Arkin, Ed Harris, and Kevin Spacey are at the top of their game, with Al Pacino just incredible as the fast-talking top salesman Richard Roma. 

4. American Hustle (2013)

Christian Bale put on a stack of weight to play charming conman Irving Rosenfeld (based on the real-life Mel Weinberg) in David O. Russell’s American Hustle. Along with his partner in crime, Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams), the two find themselves on the wrong side of the law and are forced to work for FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) to catch more comen.

This is another great ensemble cast full of heavy hitters that received rave reviews. Topping many critics end of year lists, American Hustle received a massive ten Oscar nominations but failed to win any. But it did win three Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Amy Adams), and Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture (Jennifer Lawrence). 

5. War Dogs (2016)

Proving there was more to him than frathouse comedies, Todd Phillips went semi-serious with War Dogs. While based on true events, the movie is a wildly fictional account of arms dealers Efraim Diveroli (Jonah Hill) and David Packouz (Miles Teller).

At first finding success selling weapons to those involved in the Iraq War, they soon land a $300 million contract they can’t fulfill. What follows is the drama the duo encounter as they try and fulfill the order before facing the firing squad. 

Chock full of laughs, violence, and a dash of romance, War Dogs is another underrated flick that doesn’t get the attention it deserves. 

6. The Big Short (2015)

Based on the book The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, this movie details the events that led to the 2007/2008 financial crisis. It’s shot in quite an interesting way, with Ryan Gosling’s character, who also narrates the movie, often breaking the fourth wall to address the audience. He’s not the only one, with a bunch of famous people, such as pre-fame Margot Robbie, chef Anthony Bourdain, and singer Selena Gomez, also making cameos where they address the audience and explain complex concepts such as synthetic collateralized debt obligations.

The Big Short shows how the unstable real estate market in America, where people were taking out high-risk loans, ended up crashing the financial market. Millions of people lost their homes and fortunes while company executives made bank at their expense. This is another movie with an all-star cast headlined by Christian Bale as the heavy metal drumming Michael Burry, one of the first to discover things were going to end badly who then capitalized on events for his own benefits. 

7. Goodfellas (1990)

What does Goodfellas, a mafia film, have to do with a movie about the stock market? Not a lot really, except both were made by the great Martin Scorsese. Watching Goodfellas gives you a great look at how far Scorsese has come as a filmmaker and his love of character-driven movies featuring fallible leads. 

Ray Liotta stars as Henry Hill, an up-and-coming gangster who gets in good with Jimmy “the Gent” Conway (Robert De Niro) and Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci). But when cocaine takes control of Hill’s life, he finds himself trying to outwit not only the police but his former mafia friends. 

Goodfellas is one for the ages and easily in Scorsese’s top ten movies of all time. It helped refine the gangster genre and remains one of the best movies of the 90s. 

8. The Founder (2016)

You’ve probably noticed a lot of these films are based on true stories like The Wolf of Wall Street. Well, The Founder is another biographical drama about the origins of everybody’s favorite fast food chain Mcdonald’s.

Micahel Keaton is Ray Kroc, a struggling milkshake machine salesman who meets naive brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald. Amazed at the success of their drive-thru burger restaurant, he convinces them to franchise the business, under his authority of course. As he gets more involved Kroc slowly starts to take control.

This is a gripping drama with wonderful performances from the leads, particularly Keaton. It might not be a cocaine-fueled cinematic epic like The Wolf of Wall Street, but The Founder still hits all the right notes. 

9. Thank You For Smoking (2005)

This satirical black comedy features an incredible performance from Aaron Eckhart as a spokesman for the big tobacco brands. He’s juggling his job promoting the virtues of cigarettes through underhanded tactics while trying to remain a role model for his son. 

Written and directed by Jason Reitman, this is a whip-smart comedy with great performances from a stacked cast that also includes Katie Holmes, Adam Brody, Maria Bello, Sam Elliot, Rob Lowe, J. K. Simmons, William H. Macy, and Robert Duvall. It will certainly help you understand how big companies use spin to get what they want. 

10. Margin Call (2011)

Margin Call is similar to The Big Short in that it deals with the 2007/2008 financial crisis, just with more of a straightforward narrative. Taking place over the course of a 24-hour period, it focuses on a group of investors and how they deal with the unfolding events.

Written and directed by J. C. Chandor, whose dad is an investment banker, Margin Call gives a great insight into the chaos that occurred as brokers and stock bros realized everything was going tits up. This is another flick with a stacked cast, featuring the likes of Zachary Quinto, Jeremy Irons, Demi Moore, Paul Bettany, Kevin Spacey, Simon Baker, and Stanley Tucci.  

Although a critical success, Margin Call failed to catch the public’s attention, but we can’t recommend it enough. 

11. American Psycho (2000)

When you think of movies like The Wolf of Wall Street, American Psycho probably doesn’t come to mind. But the two films share similar themes about a man working in the stock market who goes on a crime spree. It’s just that in American Psycho the criminal activity is murder. 

Christian Bale (the third time he’s popped up on this list) is New York City investment banker Patrick Bateman. Growing tired of his normal life, Batemen finds himself embarking on a gory murder spree, or does he?

Adapted from Bret Easton Ellis’s fab novel of the same name, American Psycho is a takedown of consumerism and 80s excess spliced with lots of blood and a career-making performance from Bale. 

12. Hustlers (2019)

While it doesn’t involve men in suits selling shares, this crime caper centers on a group of exotic dancers who begin drugging their clients and stealing their money. Hustlers was a surprise hit when it dropped in 2019, with the eclectic cast of Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, Julia Stiles, Keke Palmer, Cardi B, Lili Reinhart, and Lizzo all exceptional. 

Screenwriter and director Lorene Scafaria took two years to cast Hustlers, making sure she got every role filled with the right people. Widely praised by critics who dug the compelling storyline and great acting, Hustlers won several awards and makes for a great Saturday crime comedy. 

13. The Aviator (2004)

Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorses reunite once again for a film based on the life and times of Howard Hughs. The Aviator focuses on the aviation pioneer’s glitz life as he becomes a famous movie producer. He also begins to suffer from severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) which turns him into a semi-recluse and impacts his personal and business life. 

This big-budget movie has some incredible set designs that match Scorsese’s ambition as a filmmaker. DiCaprio is as brilliant as ever while the supporting cast, which includes Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale, Ian Holm, John C. Riely, Alex Baldwin, and Willem Dafoe, is magic. 

14. The Social Network (2010)

David Fincher takes a stab at adapting Ben Mezrich’s 2009 book The Accidental Billionaires, which details the beginnings of the social media platform Facebook and the rise of Mark Zuckerberg. The Social Network has a very Fincher feel to it with the way it’s shot and the epic soundtrack from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

Jesse Eisenberg is unbelievably good as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, while Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin, Armie Hammer as twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, and Justin Timberlake as Napster founder Sean Parker are all great. The jury is out on how much of the movie is actually fact, but it sure makes for great entertainment. 

15. The Wizard of Lies (2017)

Robert De Niro does a tremendous job portraying real-life conman Bernie Madoff in this made-for-television biopic from HBO. A once well-respected member of society, it’s revealed Madoff made his fortune thanks to the largest ever Ponzi scheme run by his investment company. 

The Wizard of Lies is a good overview of Madoff and how he and his firm managed to con hundreds of millions of dollars from investors. De Niro is as watchable as ever while great support comes in the form of Michelle Pfeiffer as Madoff’s wife Ruth and Hank Azaria as Frank DiPascali, Madoff’s righthand man. 

16. The Company Men (2010)

Another movie dealing with the financial crisis, The Company Men focuses on Ben Affleck, a high-flying office worker for Global Transportation Systems (GTX) who finds himself fired due to the recession. Unable to find another job, he ends up losing the privileges he once had as a six-figure executive and struggles to provide for his family. The movie also looks at how those in executive positions are also impacted, as more and more people from GTX find themselves being retrenched. 

Affleck is great in the role of a man coming to terms with no longer being an elite member of society, while Tommy Lee Jones is also fantastic as GTX’s Executive Vice President, who begins to feel the heat too. 

Categories: Entertainment
Source: Tekmonk Famous Biography