Considered to be one of Martin Scorsese’s best movies, The Wolf of Wall Street tells the semi-biographical story of Jordan Belfort who rose to prominence as a crooked stockbroker on Wall Street.
Due to its frequent use of swearing and vulgar content, The Wolf of Wall Street was considered controversial at the time but was ultimately praised for its darkly comedic tone. So for those who enjoyed it, here are other movies like it on streaming services.
The Laundromat (2019) on Netflix
Fraudulent firms come in all shapes and sizes, whether they deal with stocks like in The Wolf of Wall Street or financial services as seen in The Laundromat. Released on Netflix this year following a premiere during the Venice Film Festival, the latter film consists of three stories.
These stories in turn are connected to the money laundering practices of the law firm Mossack Fonseca, which existed from the 1970s up till 2016. Not only does The Laundromat have an ensemble cast, but it’s also made by the Ocean’s franchise director Steven Soderbergh. Yet before the film was even released, Netflix was sued by the firm’s founders.
Swordfish (2001) on HBO Max
Before Leonardo DiCaprio became known for his charismatic performance, there was Hugh Jackman. While this was largely due to his success with the X-Men films, Jackman rarely turned in a bad performance even when acting next to someone distinct like John Travolta in Swordfish.
Made in the early 2000s, Swordfish involves a convicted hacker (Jackman) being roped by his girlfriend, played by Halle Berry, to work for a mysterious employer (Travolta). The job, however, takes a sinister turn as it involves stealing money from the government. Additionally, things get complicated when the FBI and a US senator get involved.
Good Time (2017) on Netflix
Writing and directing duo Joah and Benny Safdie broke through into the mainstream with this unpredictable crime thriller starring Robert Pattinson as a desperate would-be bank robber who needs to quickly raise the money to get his accomplice brother out of prison.
Full of frantic energy and a ruthless criminal attitude that will do anything that it needs to do to accomplish its mission, Good Time is as fun as its name implies but, much like The Wolf of Wall Street, in only the darkest and most depraved ways possible.
The Company Men (2010) on Hulu
As The Wolf of Wolf Street indulges in showing the lives of corrupt wealthy people, The Company Men shows the downside to that. Because more often than not, many workers are laid off as companies downsize for the sake of maintaining their profits.
Thus, The Company Men gives us a glance at the people who are affected by this type of practice without sugarcoating it. Nor does it glamorize the practice itself, as the film focuses on a fictional company that lays off several workers and how this affects their lives. Among the cast include Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, and Kevin Costner.
Uncut Gems (2019) on Netflix
The Safdie brothers’ follow up to Good Time saw them team up with comedy movie icon Adam Sandler for an arguably even greater–and even darker–criminal caper about Sandler’s gambling-addicted jeweler and his improbable scheme to win big betting on basketball.
Uncut Gems dials up the Safdie’s affinity for New York City even more than Good Time did, evoking a lot of the energy of a young Scorsese as well as many other legendary American filmmakers and creating an unforgettable character in the form of Sandler’s completely pathetic and totally compelling Howard Ratner.
Rounders (1998) on Hulu
Since investing in stocks is similar to gambling, a high stakes poker game could be just as intriguing to watch. Though among the poker-related movies that exist, one of the best ones is arguably Rounders. Starring Matt Damon and John Malkovich among others, it wasn’t a hit upon release but has gained recognition following the Poker Boom in the early to mid-2000s.
In terms of its story, Rounders is about a law student who’s really good at poker. But after a bad game against a Russian mobster, he decides to quit. However, this doesn’t last when a friend of his racks up a huge debt forcing the two into a series of poker games to pay it off.
Killing Them Softly (2012) on Netflix
Brad Pitt leads this comparatively short and very unsweet crime drama about an enforcer sent in to sort out the aftermath of a mafia-affiliated card game robbery.
Tonally speaking, it’s often a world away from the comedic energy of The Wolf of Wall Street. But writer and director Andrew Dominik lays on the metaphorical value very thick with this story of financial ruin and the cost of recovery in the era of modern financial recession.
Blow (2001) on HBO Max
Before Johnny Depp and Penélope Cruz co-starred in the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, they were in another film together called Blow. Released in 2001, it’s based on the real-life story of George Jung who was a high school football star-turned-drug smuggler.
Particularly, he was involved with the Medellín Cartel who were influential in the South American country of Columbia during the 1970s. Though like Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street, Jung’s financial success as a smuggler didn’t last long. But what’s more interesting is that the real George Jung was involved in Blow’s development and was ultimately impressed with it.
War on Everyone (2016) on Netflix
Writer and director John Michael McDonagh had quickly made a name for himself in the world of movies thanks to his snappy dialogue and larger than life characters in his previous two movies, The Guard and Calvary, and War on Everyone continues the trend.
Michael Peña and Alexander Skarsgård star in the movie as less than clean cops who embark on a journey of equal parts justice, revenge, crime-stopping, and law-breaking. The movie often gets far stranger than even a movie like The Wolf of Wall Street but always ties it together with lots of dark comedy.
The Irishman (2019) on Netflix
The Wolf of Wall Street’s distinctive style and pacing was something that was cultivated over many years by both Scorsese and his most trusted collaborators, particularly his long-time editing partner, Thelma Schoonmaker.
The groundbreaking development in their true crime movies was 1990’s Goodfellas, continuing through Casino (which brought a large part of the main cast), moving through a younger team of actors in The Wolf of Wall Street and coming back around to original actors Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci with The Irishman. The story explores the life of mafia hitman Frank Sheeran, particularly his association with union kingpin Jimmy Hoffa, and, even though the tone is more contemplative than The Wolf of Wall Street, the execution is just as flawless.
American Psycho (2000) on Peacock
Throughout his acting career, Leonardo DiCaprio has portrayed many rich people whether they were fictional like Gatsby or real like Howard Hughes. Yet one rich guy role that he almost got was Patrick Bateman, the morally dubious main character of American Psycho.
Unlike The Wolf of Wall Street, this movie puts more of a sinister twist on 80s corporate greed and debauchery as opposed to a comedic one. Still, it does have its darkly humorous moments sprinkled throughout. With memorable performances from Christian Bale, Willem Defoe, and others it is understandable why American Psycho has become an underrated cult hit.
Legend (2015) on Netflix
Tom Hardy takes on the dual lead roles of renowned London gangsters Ronald and Reginald Kray, chronicling their rise and fall as criminal icons of the 1950s and 60s.
Legend takes plenty of creative liberties with its true story and does so to keep up that high Scorsese energy with Hardy shining in both of the drastically different roles of the equally psychotic twins.
Of the various movies that Martin Scorsese directed, this one is another popular favorite. Essentially, it’s a remake of Infernal Affairs, which is a Hong Kong action-thriller with two sequels. But instead of being set in Hong Kong, The Departed takes place in Boston and focuses on Irish mobs rather than the Chinese Triads.
Another difference is that while all the characters of Infernal Affairs are fictional, some of the ones in The Departed were actually inspired by real people. Plot-wise, though, the two follow the same formula of a gangster mole and an undercover cop infiltrating the police and the criminal organization, respectively. The cast includes many good actors including Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, and Jack Nicholson.
Nightcrawler (2014) on Netflix
Jake Gyllenhaal delivers a chilling performance as a man who stumbles into the life of shooting violent and gory footage for news shows to use as sizzle, quickly discovering that his lack of empathy makes him uniquely qualified for a life of cutthroat work in the entertainment industry.
Nightcrawler is, like The Wolf of Wall Street, an electrifying portrait of a remorseless criminal and may even get you rooting for the bad guy, even if you end up regretting it.
Mean Streets (1973) on Netflix
Martin Scorsese’s first real breakthrough as a director changed crime movies forever, not least for being the moment when the director would first team up with star Robert De Niro, beginning one of the most successful creative partnerships in cinematic history and starting a chain of projects that would directly lead to the Wolf of Wall Street 40 years later.
Harvey Keitel leads the ensemble as a mid-level gangster in New York in this slice-of-life-ish story of friendship and guilt in the world of Italian-American organized crime. Bursting with the early flashes of Scorsese’s stylistic flair and cultural sensibilities, Mean Streets has had many imitators over the years but few worthy successors, and remains one of the director’s most highly-rated movies.
