Directed by Michael Mann, The Insider tells the true story of Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe), a former tobacco executive who blows the whistle on his company. Al Pacino plays Lowell Bergman, a producer for 60 Minutes who helps bring Wigand's story to light.

While primarily about the tobacco industry and investigative journalism, the film touches upon the power of corporations, legal battles, and the financial implications of challenging powerful industries. Its connection to the 'share market' theme is indirect, focusing more on corporate ethics and legal battles than market mechanics.

The Company Men explores the human cost of corporate downsizing during the 2008 recession. While it doesn't delve into the specifics of the share market itself, it shows the devastating impact of financial decisions made at the highest corporate levels on the lives of employees.

The film follows a group of men (played by Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper, and Tommy Lee Jones) who lose their high-paying jobs and struggle to redefine themselves and support their families. It's a poignant look at the volatility of corporate employment tied to economic fluctuations.

Though not about the stock market directly, Moneyball offers a fascinating look at applying data-driven analytics to a traditional field – baseball. The film follows Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), the general manager of the Oakland A's, who uses sabermetrics to build a competitive team with a limited budget.

Its relevance to finance lies in its exploration of value investing and challenging conventional wisdom through quantitative analysis, principles that resonate deeply within financial markets and investment strategies.

Based on Bret Easton Ellis's controversial novel, American Psycho is a satirical horror film set against the backdrop of late 1980s Wall Street. Christian Bale gives an unnerving performance as Patrick Bateman, a wealthy investment banker with a dark secret.

While the film is more focused on Bateman's psychological state and critiques of consumerism and yuppie culture than actual trading, the financial world setting is integral to establishing his character and environment. It portrays the superficiality and excess often associated with that era of finance.

David Fincher's The Social Network chronicles the founding of Facebook and the subsequent legal battles. While not strictly a 'share market' film in the trading sense, it offers a compelling look at the business side of tech startups and the journey towards becoming a massive company, eventually leading to an IPO.

Aaron Sorkin's sharp, rapid-fire script drives the narrative, exploring themes of ambition, betrayal, and the cost of success. It provides context for how groundbreaking ideas translate into enormous corporate value, which is intrinsically linked to the financial markets.

While primarily a biographical drama about perseverance, The Pursuit of Happyness features a significant subplot involving the financial industry. Will Smith delivers a heartfelt performance as Chris Gardner, a salesman who faces homelessness while trying to build a better life for his son.

A key part of his journey involves landing and completing a highly competitive, unpaid internship program at a stockbroker firm (Dean Witter Reynolds). The film offers a glimpse into the demanding entry-level world of becoming a stockbroker and the dedication required to succeed.

This powerful documentary, narrated by Matt Damon, provides a comprehensive and damning look at the 2008 financial crisis. Inside Job meticulously investigates the systemic corruption within the U.S. financial industry and its consequences.

It interviews key financial players, politicians, and journalists, tracing the deregulation of the financial sector and highlighting the conflicts of interest that contributed to the meltdown. It's an essential watch for understanding the mechanics and the culprits behind the global financial crisis.

Based on a true and cautionary tale, Rogue Trader tells the story of Nick Leeson, a young derivatives trader who brought down Barings Bank, the UK's oldest investment bank. Ewan McGregor stars as Leeson, whose unauthorized trading activities led to catastrophic losses.

The film details how unchecked power, poor oversight, and escalating risks in the derivatives market can have devastating consequences. It's a fascinating, albeit terrifying, look at how one individual's actions in the complex world of international finance can ripple outwards with global impact.

Mixing high finance with hilarious comedy, Trading Places is a classic from director John Landis. The film follows a callous bet made by two wealthy brothers (Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche) to swap the lives of a privileged broker (Dan Aykroyd) and a street hustler (Eddie Murphy).

The bulk of the plot culminates in a chaotic, high-stakes sequence on the commodities trading floor, specifically dealing with frozen concentrated orange juice futures. It's a fun, insightful look at how fortunes can be made and lost on the market, wrapped in a genuinely funny and heartwarming story.

Adam McKay takes a complex, almost incomprehensible financial crisis and makes it accessible (and even darkly funny) in The Big Short. Based on Michael Lewis's book, the film follows several groups of investors who predicted the 2008 housing market collapse and decided to bet against it.

The movie uses clever narrative devices, like celebrity cameos explaining complex financial instruments like CDOs and subprime mortgages directly to the audience, to demystify the crisis. With a fantastic cast including Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, and Brad Pitt, it's an insightful and infuriating look at the lead-up to one of history's biggest financial disasters.

Step into the frenetic, high-pressure world of a long-island 'boiler room' brokerage firm in this compelling drama. Boiler Room pulls back the curtain on the shady practice of 'pump and dump' schemes, where inexperienced brokers push worthless stocks onto unsuspecting investors.

Giovanni Ribisi stars as a young man drawn into the firm's promise of quick riches, only to discover the ethical cost. The film features early roles from Vin Diesel and Ben Affleck, and provides a gritty, realistic (and often uncomfortable) look at the predatory side of the stock market fringes.

Margin Call offers a taut, gripping snapshot of a fictional investment bank during the initial hours of the 2008 financial crisis. Taking place over just 24 hours, the film excels in its tense atmosphere and sharp dialogue.

Featuring a stellar ensemble cast including Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, Paul Bettany, and Zachary Quinto, it provides a chillingly plausible look at the difficult decisions and moral quandaries faced by those at the top when catastrophe strikes. It's a powerful, understated drama that captures the cold, calculated nature of the financial meltdown.

A true cinematic cornerstone of financial cinema, Oliver Stone's Wall Street defined the era of corporate raiding and insider trading. Michael Douglas won an Oscar for his iconic portrayal of Gordon Gekko, whose "Greed is good" speech became the mantra of a generation.

The film pits the ambitious young broker Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) against the ruthless Gekko, exploring the moral compromises made in the pursuit of wealth. It's a potent look at the allure and corruption inherent in the high-stakes world of finance, and its influence on popular culture is undeniable.

Dive headfirst into the excess and insanity of the late 80s and 90s Wall Street with The Wolf of Wall Street. Martin Scorsese delivers an absolutely electrifying, no-holds-barred portrayal of Jordan Belfort's rise and fall.

Leonardo DiCaprio gives a powerhouse performance, truly embodying the charismatic, corrupt stockbroker. The film is a masterclass in pacing and style, showing the sheer, unadulterated greed and debauchery that fueled Stratton Oakmont. It's a wild ride, exposing the dark side of the financial world in a way few films dare to.