What are movies like The Wolf of Wall Street? The Wolf of Wall Street is regarded as one of the greatest films of 2013. The film is recognized as a cultural phenomenon, with parodies and quotable lines. The Wolf of Wall Street, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring the renowned Leonardo Di Caprio, Margot Robbie, and Jonah Hill, has captivated many hearts as a biographical crime-comedy saga. One that dramatically sheds light on the narrative of the renowned scammer, Jordan Belfort. So what other movies like Wolf of Wall Street can you watch?
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What Type of Movie Is the Wolf of Wall Street?
The film depicts the highs and lows of corruption and manipulation that Belfort experienced throughout his tenure on Wall Street. By 1998, the FBI is investigating Belfort for security fraud and money laundering, bringing the film to a climactic and unforeseen ending.
Overall, from start to end the Wolf of Wall Street has an intriguing and fascinating look. It’s an action extravaganza filled with extravagant lifestyles, spectacular performances, and tremendous satirical laughs. Therefore, ensuring that the movie is at the very top of its game.
The Wolf of Wall Street has definitely established a standard for films in the comedy and drama genres since it is both tragic and humorous at the same time. And it’s masterfully made. There are a lot of other films that either inspired or have been influenced by the Wolf of Wall Street that people appreciate. So what other movies like Wolf of Wall Street are there?
Movies Like Wolf of Wall Street: The Irishman (2019)
Genre: Biography, Drama, Crime
Director: Martin Scorsese
Stars: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci
Movies Like Wolf of Wall Street include The Irishman. As the title indicates, it’s an intriguing and epic gangster drama that Scorsese fans had hoped for. The film is generally regarded as a chilly and scary narrative that’s more than simply a drama. It provides a vivid image of the criminal underground. Mirroring the film with Scorsese’s earlier works, The Irishman takes its audience somewhere daring.
Working on a narrative by Steven Zaillian, the storyline is set in the 1950s and concentrates around the life of Frank Sheeran (played by Robert De Niro). He’s a World War II veteran who works as a truck driver. He finds himself growing closer to Russel Bufalino (Joe Pesci), the mysterious and terrifying chief of the Bufalino crime family in Pennsylvania.
Frank becomes a hitman, trusted by his employer. In one of the assignments entrusted to him, goes on to work for Jimmy Hoffa (played by Al Pacino), who’s linked to the underworld through the Teamsters Union. For years, Frank works as Hoffa’s right-wing man. Then Hoffa vanishes off the face of the Earth in 1975. His enigmatic disappearance remains unsolved.
Scorsese has wonderfully incorporated the theme of the American canvas of politics, money, murder, and corruption into the film. And delves deeper into uncovering the unromantic and taxing experience of mobsters. As a result, making the film incredibly heady and absorbing. The film is suitable for tiny screens, does not glorify violence, and portrays organized crime as a necessary business.
How Much of Wolf of Wall Street Was True?
When thinking about movies like Wolf and Wall Street and the movie itself, you have to wonder if it’s true. Was it based on a true story? According to some research, 95% of the movie was true. The majority of Jordan Belfort’s business was legitimate. It was the SEC that said the firm wasn’t legitimate. Even though, some say they didn’t do what they were accused of.
Casino (1995)
Genre: Drama, Crime
Director: Martin Scorsese
Stars: Sharon Stone, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci
The film Casino is based on Nicholas Pileggi’s book of the same name. It examines the connections between the Mafia and Las Vegas, focusing on the narrative of an individual Pileggi knew. One who used to manage casinos for mobsters. The film begins with a vehicle bombing. It then keeps the audience glued to the screen like eavesdroppers while the filmmaker reveals how such a horrible incident truly occurred.
The first hour of the film is documentary-style and is narrated by Sam Rothstein. He’s known as ‘Ace’ (played by Robert De Niro), who owns a casino called Tangiers and was murdered in the car bombing. Then it’s followed by the riveting account of how mobsters from the casino stole millions of dollars.
Rothstein first obtains funds for his casino from Remo Gaggi, a Chicago-based mobster who ends up stealing millions of dollars from his casino. Remo Gaggi isn’t Rothstein’s only issue. Another gangster, Nicky Santoro (played by Joe Pesci), ends up in Las Vegas. Rothstein is surrounded by a massive criminal catastrophe, which eventually leads to his assassination.
The film also has a melancholic romantic side. Rothstein falls in love with a girl named Ginger McKenna (played by Sharon Stone). She eventually marries him after much persuading but ends up being an alcoholic and drug addict.
The film is riveting and offers the history, ideas, perspectives, and objectives of each character in the same way as novels do. And it keeps viewers emotionally connected until the very end, making the film worthwhile to see even decades after it was produced. Therefore, keep it in mind when considering movies like Wolf of Wall Street.
La Dolce Vita (1960)
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Director: Frederico Fellini
Stars: Marcello Mastroianni, Anita Ekberg, Anouk Aimee
Set in the disastrous post-war era, the film places Rome at the center of the globe by emphasizing, in a dramatic fashion, the economic and cultural regeneration Italy intended to begin all over again. All while leaving behind the defeat and calamity of fascism.
Marcello Rubini (played by Marcello Mastroianni) is a gorgeous and restless man who works as a journalist. And he has a keen interest in gossip. His girlfriend’s name is Emma; whom he frequently drives insane.
He’s embarrassed and despised by his career. Yet he’s unable to separate himself from its nighttime temptations; sex, women, and an exotic lifestyle.
He’s so deeply implicated in the corruption that he never reports it. He seemed to be as lost as the rest of the world. His profession requires him to catch celebrities in uncomfortable circumstances. As a result, while being engaged to Emma, he becomes entangled with a local heiress called Maddalena (played by Anouk Aimee.) As well as a Swedish actress known as Sylvia (played by Anita Ekberg).
The film’s scenes are like references to Dante; highlighting the loss of morality and its ramifications for Italy. Other key themes in the film include deceit, political power, and the rebirth of fascism. When the word ‘paparazzi’ was used as a photographer’s name in the film, it was included in the English Dictionary. Overall, the film is rather intriguing, especially given its setting in Rome. And putting in on our list of movies like Wolf of Wall Street.
The Social Network (2010)
Genre: Biography, Drama
Director: David Fincher
Stars: Jessie Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake
The Social Network is Fincher’s masterwork. It features a protagonist who’s a highly intelligent guy and one who harbors the seeds of his own demise. The man is Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jessie Eisenberg). He has no interest in money but ends up becoming the world’s youngest billionaire after founding Facebook, a social networking service.
The film is based on Aaron Sorkin’s novel “The Accidental Billionaires”. It focuses on a fictitious construct of Mark’s life and how he gets everything but loses a very loyal and close buddy due to a little fault. The film begins with Mark’s split with his fiancée Emma. This gets him so unhappy that he inadvertently invents FaceSmash while drunkenly hacking into his school’s database.
Mark subsequently converts FaceSmash, with the aid of his buddy Eduardo Saverin (played by Andrew Garfield), into Facebook. Of course, this becomes a billion-dollar marvel within a few years as the site hooks people up, links them with each other, and showcases their interests.
The film captivates the portrait of such a man who, in any other aspect of life, would be considered insane. However, in the Internet age, he has the ability to transform an idea into a huge empire. But he still cannot control his life as competitiveness, inability to communicate, and the desire to be number one alienates him to the point where he ends up drowning in two lawsuits. And one of which is from his dear friend Eduardo himself.
War Dogs (2016)
Genre: Biography, Comedy, Crime
Director: Todd Phillips
Stars: Jonah Hill, Miles Teller, Steve Lantz
War Dogs is a film about a group of pathetic people who’re too nasty to admit their horribleness. The plot centers around a group of Miami-based arms dealers who earn a fortune by supplying weaponry to the US military during the Bush Administration’s growing tensions with Afghanistan.
The film is narrated by David Packouz (played by Miles Teller), a former psychotherapist who becomes a weapons dealer alongside his buddy and employer Efraim Diveroli in order to fatten his bank account (played by Jonah Hill). David’s married life stinks as his wife Iz becomes tired of his lies and deception but still supports him in certain parts while going against him in others, bringing a sense of spice and fun to the storyline.
The film takes an unexpected turn when David loses control while delivering Berettas to the US military. Driving across the Triangle of Death in Iraq to sell AK-47 ammunition for $100 million to the Afghan Army.
The audience understands what the characters are going through emotionally. But it’s also such a contemporary comedy that makes the audience laugh till their throats hurt. So, this was the list of movies like Wolf of Wall Street.
Bottom Line
Without a doubt, the majority of the films in this article are blockbusters. They even provide you with insights into the financial market. These films depict the luxury lifestyles of fortunate individuals. While portraying the mafia, gangs, violence, murder, fraud, and every other crime you can think of. The collateral they pay for their lifestyle is in the form of their humanity, morality, and values.
Go ahead and explore the fascinating world where powerful heroes dominate and only the smart ones survive, because if you are a fan of The Wolf of Wall Street or a film junkie in general, you owe it to yourself to see these films.