10 Movies & Shows Like You Don’t Know Jack

Description: A classic tale of ambition and moral compromise in the financial world, featuring a young broker seduced by the allure of wealth and power at any cost.

Fact: The character Gordon Gekko became an iconic symbol of corporate greed. The film's famous line, 'Greed is good,' is often quoted in discussions about capitalism.

Description: A gritty look at the high-pressure world of stock brokerage firms, where young brokers are pushed to sell dubious investments, blurring ethical lines for profit.

Fact: The film was inspired by the real-life practices of fraudulent brokerage firms in the 1990s. Many of the sales tactics depicted were based on actual events and testimonies.

Description: A story of deception and fraud, following a young con artist who successfully impersonates various professionals, showcasing the vulnerabilities in institutional systems.

Fact: The film is based on the life of Frank Abagnale, who before his 19th birthday had successfully performed cons worth millions of dollars. Abagnale later became a consultant for the FBI on fraud prevention.

Description: This film explores the excesses and moral corruption in the world of high finance, featuring a charismatic yet deeply flawed protagonist who manipulates the system for personal gain.

Fact: The movie is based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, who served 22 months in prison for securities fraud and money laundering. It holds the record for the most uses of the word 'fuck' in a non-documentary film.

Description: A darkly comedic take on corporate whistleblowing, following an eccentric executive who exposes price-fixing but has his own hidden agenda.

Fact: The film is based on the true story of Mark Whitacre, the highest-ranking corporate executive to ever become an FBI whistleblower. Whitacre's bizarre behavior during the investigation included fabricating stories about being kidnapped.

Description: A story about challenging conventional wisdom and using data to outsmart the competition, set against the backdrop of professional baseball's financial struggles.

Fact: The film is based on Michael Lewis's book of the same name, which chronicles the Oakland Athletics' 2002 season. The real Billy Beane, the team's general manager, has a cameo in the movie.

Description: A gripping narrative about ambition, betrayal, and the cutthroat world of tech entrepreneurship, where personal relationships are sacrificed for success.

Fact: The screenplay was based on the book 'The Accidental Billionaires' by Ben Mezrich. Mark Zuckerberg has stated that the film's portrayal of events is largely fictionalized.

Description: This film delves into the complexities of the financial crisis, highlighting how a few individuals foresaw the collapse and profited from it, exposing systemic greed and incompetence.

Fact: The movie uses unconventional methods to explain complex financial instruments, including celebrity cameos breaking the fourth wall. It won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Description: A tense, behind-the-scenes look at the early stages of the financial crisis, focusing on the moral dilemmas faced by employees at a failing investment bank.

Fact: The film was shot in just 17 days on a modest budget. Many of the actors took pay cuts to be part of the project due to the strength of the script.

Description: A story of con artists and FBI agents entangled in a web of deception, showcasing the blurred lines between right and wrong in pursuit of personal gain.

Fact: The film is loosely based on the FBI's ABSCAM operation in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Many of the characters are composites of real-life figures involved in the scandal.