Calculated Cinema: Six Films About Financial Catastrophes

If the word “default” doesn’t scare you, and “financial drama” makes you excited rather than bored, you’re in the right place. We’ve picked six films that explain economic disasters as well as textbooks do — and sometimes even more entertainingly.

Let’s start with a classic — Oliver Stone’s “Wall Street.” Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko convincingly proves that greed is not only good, but profitable (at least for a while). For fans of apocalyptic realism, there’s “The Big Short,” where Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale, and other celebrities explain the mortgage crisis in simple terms and with a healthy dose of self-irony.

Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street” is for those who care not only about economics, but also about parties with dwarfs. Don’t forget “Margin Call” — here you’ll see the very night when the financial world teetered on the edge of the abyss, and traders forgot about sleep and conscience.

For documentary lovers, there’s HBO’s “Too Big to Fail”: no artistic liberties, just real players, real mistakes, and real billions. And finally, for those who appreciate some soul — “Boiler Room,” where rookie brokers learn the art of selling imaginary wealth.

Each of these films is a bitter pill that can save you from recklessness in the face of tempting investments. Watch, analyze, take antidepressants — and may your portfolio never crash!