For the past week, the internet is buzzing with talk about the ongoing war between the small investors on a Reddit group and the professionals on Wall Street. Finance gurus might know exactly what’s happening, but for those of us who don’t understand the workings of the stock market, it might be a little difficult to understand the frenzy.

Related: Which commodity is Reddit Army’s Next Target After Silver and GameStop!

You don’t need to worry about any of that, here are the top 5 Wall Street Films that’ll help you become an expert on the topic.

Trading Places (1983)

Yes, it’s a pretty old movie but trust us you won’t regret watching it. It’s the best film to watch if you want to understand what’s happening with GameStop, as it explored the widely misunderstood topic of short selling.

Trading Places is a comedy-drama film that follows a young homeless man on his journey of entering the world of finance when he makes a bet with his neighbour, an upper-class commodities broker, to see how they would perform if their life circumstances were swapped.

It’s safe to say that the film is a great laugh, but it’s also a good one if you want to learn a thing or two about the finance world.

Boiler Room (2000)

The American crime drama film, Boiler Room is directed by Ben Younger. What’s interesting is that he got this movie idea when he went in for a job interview at a brokerage firm called Sterling Foster.

If you want to understand exactly how intoxicating the promise of huge wealth is, then this is the movie you need to watch. The film was written after numerous interviews were conducted with brokers who actually live the life. The film follows the main character, Seth Davis on a journey where he learns how everyone wants to get rich quickly and he himself dreams of selling wealth through phone calls.

Margin Call (2011)

Directed by J.C Chandor, Margin Call is an American financial thriller film that shows the critical 24-hour period at a Wall Street investment bank during the initial stages of the 2007-2008 financial crisis.

Starring Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, and a number of other prominent actors, the film focuses on the actions of a group of employees during the time when the financial collapse happened. We suggest you watch this film if you want to understand the themes of greed, capitalism, and investment fraud. The movie received many positive reviews and got nominated for numerous awards.

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

While one reason to watch The Wolf of Wall Street is to understand what stockbrokers do, the other reason is Leonardo Di Caprio’s marvellous acting. He plays Jordan Belfort, whose memoir the movie is based on.

Directed by Martin Scorsese, the film recounts Belfort’s career as a stockbroker in one of the biggest firms in New York City. It shows how the firm got involved in corruption scandals on Wall Street and this eventually led to Belfort’s downfall, both in professional and personal life. The Wolf of Wall Street has received numerous awards and nominations, along with both positive reviews and scrutiny from experts.

The Big Short (2015)

If you want to have a good laugh and dig deep into the workings of the finance world all at the same time, then this American biographical comedy-drama film is what you need to watch. It’s based on a book called The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, which was written by Michael Lewis.

The movie depicts the financial crisis of 2007-2008 that was triggered by the United States housing bubble. The director, Adam McKay, has done an exceptional job using unconventional techniques to explain the financial instruments, such as Synthetic CDOs, and mortgage-backed bonds to the viewers.

These wall street films should help you understand what’s going on with Reddit and Wall Street. Binge-watch thee Hollywood hits and become an expert at trading stocks in no time.

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