The 12 Best Movies About the 2008 Financial Crisis (2024)

The 2008 financial crisis is one of the most significant financial and sociopolitical events of the 21st century, and its impact was felt by both the film industry and the world at large. While many studios were hit hard by the housing crisis, filmmakers responded to the event with films that represented how people worldwide were dealing with the ramifications.

16 years later and the effects of the 2008 financial crisis continue to influence the global economy. Movies about the stock market crash still serve as great dramatizations or perhaps cautionary tales about the way history tends to repeat itself given enough time. Between films based on true events to original stories set in the shadow of the market crash, these are the best movies about the financial crisis.

12 'Magic Mike' (2012)

Directed by Steven Soderbergh

Anyone expecting Steven Soderbergh’s Magic Mike to be a fluff piece may have been shocked to see the classic 1970s Warner Brothers logo that appears on-screen before the film begins. Soderbergh’s 2012 film focused on stripping explores how the financial crisis has impacted male dancers and changed the nature of their profession.

Even though the drama at the core of Magic Mike is serious, it doesn’t make the elaborate dancing sequences any less electrifying (with many going on to become memorable memes or rewatchable scenes). To continue the same social themes, Soderbergh’s 2023 sequel Magic Mike's Last Dance explored the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Magic Mike

R

Comedy

Drama

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Release Date

June 24, 2012

Director

Steven Soderbergh

Cast

Channing Tatum , Alex Pettyfer , Matthew McConaughey , Cody Horn , Olivia Munn , Matt Bomer , Riley Keough , Joe Manganiello , Kevin Nash , Adam Rodriguez

Runtime

110

11 'Killing Them Softly' (2012)

Directed by Andrew Dominik

Killing Them Softly takes place right in the middle of the 2008 United States Presidential Election between Barack Obama and John McCain and makes several allusions to the financial crisis that occurred the same year. The social crime thriller explores the trickle-down effects of a botched robbery of a mafia-fueled poker tournament.

Two dim-witted robbers (Ben Mendelsohn and Scoot McNairy) make the mistake of stealing from the wrong people, forcing an entire criminal enterprise to collapse due to limited funds. Despite his callousness during the promotional tour for his latest film Blonde, he shows a real restraint here with the social themes here.

Killing Them Softly

R

Crime

Thriller

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Release Date

July 30, 2012

Director

Andrew Dominik

Cast

Brad Pitt , Scoot McNairy , Ben Mendelsohn , James Gandolfini , Richard Jenkins , Vincent Curatola

Runtime

100

10 'Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps' (2010)

Directed by Oliver Stone

Director Oliver Stone's Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is set in New York City during the 2008 financial crisis. Starring Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko, the film depicts the events following his release from prison for insider trading. He teams up with his daughter's stockbroker fiance Jake (Shia LaBeouf) to attempt to fix the broken father-daughter relationship, while also targeting a selfish banker using the crisis for his own financial gain.

Michael Douglas performs the role of a master manipulator with ease in the film which shows how some can take advantage of a financial crisis, and his performance serves as a solid anchor for the otherwise shaky plot. It doesn't help that its prequel – Wall Street (1987) – was much better by comparison, and was well-received by critics and fans alike.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

PG-13

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Release Date

September 2, 2010

Director

Oliver Stone

Cast

Michael Douglas , Shia LaBeouf , Josh Brolin , Carey Mulligan , Eli Wallach , Susan Sarandon

Runtime

136

Main Genre

Drama

9 'Promised Land' (2012)

Directed by Gus Van Sant

While Gus Van Sant has yet to make a film in recent years that rivals his work in the 1990s like Good Will Hunting, his 2012 drama Promised Land delicately examines the impact of a potentially radical financial change on a rural community. Matt Damon stars in the film as a disgruntled drilling salesman who must convince the local residents of a small town to invest in his offer to build on their land.

Damon co-wrote the film alongside John Krasinski, who also appears in the film in a supporting role as his rival. The chemistry between the two actors makes the movie worth watching, as it soars thanks to the way they react and act after their proposal is shot down by unexpected external factors.

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8 'The Company Men' (2010)

Directed by John Wells

The Company Men wrestled with a moral quandary that the crisis presented. If yuppie stockbrokers and corporate workers were responsible for the collapse of the market, do they deserve any sympathy when they lose everything? The film explores how the economic changes impacted employees at several layers of a company that is collapsing thanks to the economic downturn.

Ben Affleck delivers one of his more underrated performances as a former office worker who is terminated and must work grunt labor alongside his quirky brother-in-law (Kevin Costner). The film also features strong work from Chris Cooper and Tommy Lee Jones. The cast members perfectly play the roles of the perpetrators and victims of corporate America.

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7 'Margin Call' (2011)

Directed by J. C. Chandor

Margin Call explores the collapse of a major hedge fund that fires nearly half of its staff on the same day. It's a drama that collapses under the pressure of too many debts at once, with its key players having to make some tough calls about who to let go to keep the investment bank afloat. All of this takes place in a span of 24 hours with the early stages of the 2008 crisis used as an appropriate backdrop.

Kraven the Hunter director J.C. Chandor received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay for his riveting dialogue and thorough research. While not based on any specific company or real people, Margin Call is inspired by the crisis. While the film is very dialogue-heavy, the implication that a corporation is willing to let thousands of people lose their jobs to save their bottom line is just as scary as any horror movie.

Margin Call

R

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Release Date

February 11, 2011

Director

J.C. Chandor

Cast

Kevin Spacey , Paul Bettany , Jeremy Irons , Zachary Quinto , Penn Badgley , Simon Baker

Runtime

109

Main Genre

Drama

6 '99 Homes' (2014)

Directed by Ramin Bahrani

In Ramin Bahrani's 99 Homes, single father and construction worker Dennis Nash (Andrew Garfield) is hired by heartless real estate broker Rick Carver (Michael Shannon). The deal? Dennis has to evict other people from their homes in Florida in order to keep his own during the Great Recession.

Showing a close-up of the 2010 housing crisis – an aftermath of the stock market crash – the overlooked 2014 film depicts a painful reality for too many Americans back then, who were forced to leave their homes. The protagonist's unique situation (and Andrew Garfield's incredible performance) makes it a compelling watch, with its storyline standing out among other movies about the 2008 crash.

99 Homes

R

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Release Date

October 9, 2014

Director

Ramin Bahrani

Cast

Andrew Garfield , Michael Shannon , Laura Dern , Clancy Brown , Tim Guinee , J.D. Evermore

Runtime

112 minutes

Main Genre

Drama

5 'Two Days, One Night' (2014)

Directed by Luc Dardenne and Jean-Pierre Dardenne

Marion Cotillard received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her heartbreaking performance as the woman Sandra, who lives with depression, in Two Days, One Night. Sandra’s co-workers are forced to choose between allowing Sandra to stay on the staff after returning to work or receiving the bonuses that their employers promised them.

Even though it comes down to the decision that the characters will make in a critical vote, Sandra’s individual conversations with each of her colleagues make Two Days, One Night such a riveting watch. The film is propelled by a fantastic performance from Marion Cotillard, who deserves more credit for her role here.

Two Days, One Night

PG-13

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Release Date

May 21, 2014

Director

Jean-Pierre Dardenne , Luc Dardenne

Cast

Marion Cotillard , Fabrizio Rongione , Catherine Salée , Batiste Sornin , Pili Groyne , Simon Caudry

Runtime

95

Main Genre

Drama

4 'The Town' (2010)

Directed by Ben Affleck

The Town explores the aftermath of the collapse and how it drives lifelong best friends Doug McRay (Affleck) and Jem Coughlin (Jeremy Renner) to increase their criminal activities. When they plan one last heist at Fenway Park, things go wrong when an unplanned hostage is thrown into the equation.

Ben Affleck’s second directorial effort, the filmmaker feels the influence of crime movie maestro Michael Mann in his direction of the riveting bank robbery sequences. By showing the desperate lengths average people must go to in order to survive, Affleck makes his political point clear. Doug and Jem are only driven to violence as a result of the circ*mstances that they find themselves in; they’re not inherently bad people.

The Town

R

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Directed by and starring Ben Affleck, The Town is a crime thriller detailing a robber developing romantic feelings for one of his victims after a robbery takes place. As these complicated feelings develop, the team makes plans to Rob Fenway Park. Aside from Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Blake Lively, and Jeremy Renner also star in the movie.

Release Date

September 15, 2010

Director

Ben Affleck

Cast

Ben Affleck , Rebecca Hall , Jon Hamm , Jeremy Renner , Blake Lively , Slaine

Runtime

123 minutes

Main Genre

Crime

3 'Hell or High Water' (2016)

Directed by David Mackenzie

Hell or High Water is another great bank robbery thriller examining the desperate measures common people must go to sustain themselves financially. David Mackenize’s brilliant neo-noir Western follows the brothers Toby (Chris Pine) and Tanner (Ben Foster) as they rob a series of Texas Midland Banks to save their departed mother’s ranch.

Taylor Sheridan’s crackling dialogue helps thoroughly explain why the brothers are proceeding with their crimes and who the real victims will be due to their bank robbing spree. Depicting how the crisis impacted rural areas around the country, the film's protagonists ensure they are stealing from the banks themselves and not those they service – but does that justify their actions?

Hell or High Water

R

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Release Date

August 12, 2016

Director

David Mackenzie

Cast

Chris Pine , Jeff Bridges , Ben Foster , Katy Mixon , Dale Dickey , Kevin Rankin

Runtime

102 minutes

Main Genre

Crime

2 'The Big Short' (2015)

Directed by Adam McKay

Anyone confused by the housing crisis, how it happened, and who was responsible may want to watch The Big Short for purely educational purposes. Adam McKay’s film adaptation of the popular nonfiction novel of the same name utilizes a fourth-wall-breaking, docudrama style that thoroughly explains the events that led up to the crash. It primarily follows a group of investors who shocked everyone when they bet against the seemingly infallible mortgage market

While the subject material is quite serious, McKay uses cutaways to popular culture images and celebrity guest stars to make the journey more entertaining. Learning about stocks is a lot easier when Margot Robbie or Anthony Bourdain is there to explain it all, making this an essential 2008 financial crisis movie.

The Big Short

R

Drama

Crime

Biography

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Release Date

December 23, 2015

Director

Adam McKay

Cast

Brad Pitt , Melissa Leo , Ryan Gosling , Marisa Tomei , Steve Carell , Christian Bale

Runtime

130 minutes

1 'Inside Job' (2010)

Directed by Charles Ferguson

There have been countless documentaries about the corruption within Wall Street and the looming crisis that could have been avoided, but the Oscar-winning film Inside Job may be the most detailed breakdown of the timeline. Matt Damon narrates the documentary as it tells the frustrating story and details the events that led up to the infamous crash that caused so many to lose their jobs and security.

While it’s a lot of information to digest on initial viewing, Inside Job spends enough time on each fact to make things even more infuriating. Through interviews and explanations of key facts and major players, the 2010 documentary paints a complete portrait of the crisis. It may serve as a good double feature with The Big Short, as it covers many of the same topics and real-life subjects.

Inside Job

PG-13

Documentary

Crime

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Release Date

October 8, 2010

Director

Charles Ferguson

Cast

Matt Damon , Gylfi Zoega , Andri Snær Magnason , Sigridur Benediktsdottir , Paul Volcker , Dominique Strauss-Kahn

Runtime

120

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