With the credit crunch in full, unadulterated swing, take a gander at how the movies have dealt with the evils of the economy…

Each and every one of us has been gripped by the fascinating intricacies of the global economic implosion. The ins-and-outs of the business of business can be an engrossing, almost exotic environment to journey through: wild excesses, impossible detail, alienated men of influence, Faustian high-jinks. We thought we'd take a look at the very best films that give insight - in one way or another - to the compelling forces that make the world go round.

5. Wall Street (Oliver Stone, 1987)

"Greed is Good", says the slick, permanently erect figure of Gordon Gekko - Mr.80s himself. There are few films more shamelessly leading and manipulating than this period classic. When Charlie Sheen's Bud Fox turns against his despicable mentor there is a genuine sense of disappointment. Gekko is one of the most delicious villains in cinema. A high-priest of the system he loyally serves. "What's worth doing is worth doing for money" he barks. Watching this film today is almost like stepping into an alternate reality. Remember, ambition was real, once upon a time.

4. Executive Suite (Robert Wise, 1954)

This under-seen classic from Robert Wise has gone  without praised and almost unnoticed for half a century. Think of it as the Sweet Smell of Success of the business world and you're on the right track. Five opportunistic company executives jostle for top-spot when the "old man" pops his clogs. Devious, malicious and self-serving, these group of vultures are ready to swoop. An acerbic, astute script from Ernst Lehman,  Executive Suite is a killer tale of the acid-scarred world of making money.  

3. The Smartest Guys in the Room (Alex Gibney, 2005)

The title - you get it - they're all really stupid. If the devil has ever invested a sizable sum of his no doubt vast fortune, then surely it was poured into Enron: the gross con-men of the boom and bust times of boon. Hedging on nothing, creating value out of thin air and amassing gorgeous erroneous fortunes, these knights of ill-morality saw opportunity where others might see only deceit. This fantastically detailed doc lifts the lid on the cruel, warped sense of masculine cut and thrust that seemed to drive this entirely delusional energy empire. A shock and awe must-see.

2. Glengarry Glen Ross (James Foley, 1992)

Macho men with their balls cut off. This ace adaptation of David Mamet's red-hot play sizzles with aggression and pocked with truly memorable scenes, none more so than Alec Baldwin's humiliating "Always Be Closing" tirade, in which he spits "You can't close the leads you're given, you can't close shit, you are shit! Hit the bricks pal and beat it - because you are going out." Pacino's Ricky Roma floats on his own arrogant hot air, whilst Jack Lemmon's nervy Shelley Levene is the pathetic shell into which they will all eventually crawl. A career high for the director, and many of the actors (particularly the "cunt" Willamson / Kevin Spacey), it really is the ultimate in "fuck or walk" cinema.

1. Trading Places (John Landis, 1983)

Strange that this volatile kill or be killed list should be headed by a screwball 80s comedy - but fitting nonetheless. No other film better exposes the way in which the highs and lows of the everyday rests on the whimsical follies of a croaky elite. Incredible turns from Dan Ackroyd, Eddie Murphy and the always brilliant Denholm Elliot, John Landis' madcap movie is an absolute riot. Few films zip along at such a demonic pace and fewer still wind up with such a satisfyingly immense finale. Ultimately, it illustrates perfectly how no one is the master of capitalism, the winners are just as likely victims as the losers.