Best Movies Like Margin Call That Turn Boardrooms Into Thrillers

The Big Short explores the 2008 financial crisis from the investor side, making it a natural companion to Margin Call by exposing the systemic failures and moral hazards inside Wall Street firms.

The men who made millions from a global economic meltdown. The Big Short is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 11m runtime, released in 2015 with an average rating of 7.4 by 9,593 people. The movie made an estimated total of $133,346,506 in the box office.

Inside Job serves as a documentary counterpart to Margin Call, breaking down the real-world greed, deregulation, and corruption that mirror the fictional events of Margin Call.

A film that exposes the shocking truth behind the economic crisis of 2008. The global financial meltdown, at a cost of over $20 trillion, resulted in millions of people losing their homes and jobs. Through extensive research and interviews with major financial insiders, politicians and journalists, Inside Job traces the rise of a rogue industry and unveils the corrosive relationships which have corrupted politics, regulation and academia. Inside Job is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 49m runtime, released in 2010 with an average rating of 7.7 by 1,006 people. The movie made an estimated total of $7,871,522 in the box office.

Too Big to Fail dramatizes the government and banking response to the financial collapse, effectively showing the broader aftermath of the overnight crisis depicted in Margin Call.

An intimate look at the epochal financial crisis of 2008 and the powerful men and women who decided the fate of the world's economy in a matter of a few weeks. Too Big to Fail is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 37m runtime, released in 2011 with an average rating of 7.0 by 245 people.

Arbitrage focuses on high-level financial deception and ethical compromise, echoing Margin Call’s themes of hidden losses and desperate attempts to stay afloat.

A 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. Arbitrage is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 40m runtime, released in 2012 with an average rating of 6.3 by 912 people. The movie made an estimated total of $35,500,000 in the box office.

99 Homes shifts the perspective to the housing market victims, showing the human cost of the same financial crash environment that Margin Call portrays from inside the firm.

After his family is evicted from their home, proud and desperate construction worker Dennis Nash tries to win his home back by striking a deal with the devil and working for Rick Carver, the corrupt real estate broker who evicted him. 99 Homes is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 52m runtime, released in 2015 with an average rating of 6.8 by 810 people. The movie made an estimated total of $1,411,927 in the box office.

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room documents corporate fraud and executive denial, closely aligning with Margin Call’s examination of institutional collapse and accountability.

A documentary about the Enron corporation, its faulty and corrupt business practices, and how they led to its fall. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 50m runtime, released in 2005 with an average rating of 7.1 by 288 people.

Boiler Room explores toxic sales culture and unchecked ambition on Wall Street, thematically connected to Margin Call’s critique of profit-over-ethics decision-making.

A college dropout gets a job as a broker for a suburban investment firm and is on the fast track to success—but the job might not be as legitimate as it sounds. Boiler Room is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 58m runtime, released in 2000 with an average rating of 6.7 by 720 people. The movie made an estimated total of $28,780,255 in the box office.

Glengarry Glen Ross captures ruthless corporate pressure and moral erosion, resonating with the internal tensions and survival instincts seen in Margin Call.

Times are tough at Premiere Properties. Shelley "the machine" Levene and Dave Moss are veteran salesmen, but only Ricky Roma is on a hot streak. The new Glengarry sales leads could turn everything around, but the front office is holding them back until these "losers" prove themselves. Then someone decides to take matters into his own hands, stealing the Glengarry leads and leaving everyone wondering who did it. Glengarry Glen Ross is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 40m runtime, released in 1992 with an average rating of 7.3 by 1,542 people. The movie made an estimated total of $10,725,228 in the box office.

The Company Men examines the personal fallout of corporate downsizing, complementing Margin Call by showing what happens after executive-level decisions are made.

Bobby Walker lives the proverbial American dream: great job, beautiful family, shiny Porsche in the garage. When corporate downsizing leaves him and two co-workers jobless, the three men are forced to re-define their lives as men, husbands and fathers. The Company Men is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 44m runtime, released in 2010 with an average rating of 6.5 by 784 people. The movie made an estimated total of $4,882,577 in the box office.

Equity offers a rare female-led Wall Street thriller, focusing on insider trading and power dynamics that align with the corporate intrigue central to Margin Call.

Senior investment banker Naomi Bishop’s world of high-power big money is brutal and fierce, and one she thrives in. When a controversial IPO threatens the fragile balance of power and confidentiality, Naomi finds herself entangled in a web of politics and deception. Equity is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 40m runtime, released in 2016 with an average rating of 5.6 by 102 people. The movie made an estimated total of $1,605,463 in the box office.

The Hummingbird Project dives into high-frequency trading obsession, reflecting the same relentless pursuit of advantage and risk blindness portrayed in Margin Call.

A pair of high-frequency traders go up against their old boss in an effort to make millions in a fiber-optic cable deal. The Hummingbird Project is a movie from Canada in English, with a total 1h 51m runtime, released in 2019 with an average rating of 6.2 by 384 people. The movie made an estimated total of $876,980 in the box office.

Rogue Trader tells the true story of a single trader collapsing a bank, paralleling Margin Call’s theme of how internal risk can destroy massive institutions overnight.

Rogue Trader tells the true story of Nick Leeson, an employee of Barings Bank who--after a successful trading run--ends up accumulating $1.4 billion in losses hidden in account #88888. Rogue Trader is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 1h 41m runtime, released in 1999 with an average rating of 5.9 by 129 people.

The Laundromat exposes global financial secrecy and shell companies, expanding on the systemic corruption hinted at in Margin Call.

When a widow gets swindled out of insurance money, her search for answers leads to two cunning lawyers in Panama who hide cash for the superrich. The Laundromat is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 36m runtime, released in 2019 with an average rating of 6.0 by 1,273 people.

The Wizard of Lies centers on Bernie Madoff’s fraud, echoing Margin Call’s focus on executive denial and the human cost of financial deception.

A look behind the scenes at Bernie Madoff's massive Ponzi scheme, how it was perpetrated on the public and the trail of destruction it left in its wake, both for the victims and Madoff's family. The Wizard of Lies is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 13m runtime, released in 2017 with an average rating of 6.6 by 630 people.

Wall Street is a foundational finance film about greed and power, setting the ideological groundwork that Margin Call later deconstructs.

A young and impatient stockbroker is willing to do anything to get to the top, including trading on illegal inside information taken through a ruthless and greedy corporate raider, whom takes the youth under his wing. Wall Street is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 6m runtime, released in 1987 with an average rating of 7.2 by 2,189 people. The movie made an estimated total of $43,900,000 in the box office.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps revisits financial excess after the crash, thematically tying into the consequences of decisions made in films like Margin Call.

As the global economy teeters on the brink of disaster, a young Wall Street trader partners with disgraced former Wall Street corporate raider Gordon Gekko on a two tiered mission: To alert the financial community to the coming doom, and to find out who was responsible for the death of the young trader's mentor. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 13m runtime, released in 2010 with an average rating of 6.1 by 1,634 people. The movie made an estimated total of $134,748,021 in the box office.

The Wolf of Wall Street showcases unchecked greed and excess, acting as a cultural counterpoint to Margin Call’s colder, more restrained depiction of Wall Street collapse.

A New York stockbroker refuses to cooperate in a large securities fraud case involving corruption on Wall Street, corporate banking world and mob infiltration. Based on Jordan Belfort's autobiography. The Wolf of Wall Street is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 3h 0m runtime, released in 2013 with an average rating of 8.0 by 25,402 people. The movie made an estimated total of $407,038,432 in the box office.

Trading Places uses satire to expose market manipulation, offering a lighter but still relevant contrast to the serious financial mechanics in Margin Call.

A snobbish investor and a wily street con-artist find their positions reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaires. Trading Places is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 56m runtime, released in 1983 with an average rating of 7.2 by 3,552 people. The movie made an estimated total of $90,404,800 in the box office.

Barbarians at the Gate dramatizes corporate takeover warfare, sharing Margin Call’s interest in executive psychology and high-stakes boardroom decisions.

F. Ross Johnson decides to buyout his own tobacco firm RJR Nabisco after the plans of the launch of his new product, a smokeless cigarette Premier, fail on account of market rumours. Barbarians at the Gate is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 47m runtime, released in 1993 with an average rating of 6.8 by 48 people.

The China Hustle investigates financial fraud targeting investors, reinforcing Margin Call’s message about systemic risk and willful ignorance in finance.

An unsettling and eye-opening Wall Street horror story about Chinese companies, the American stock market, and the opportunistic greed behind the biggest heist you've never heard of. The China Hustle is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 24m runtime, released in 2018 with an average rating of 7.2 by 86 people.