We're bringing you money, sex and murder in our specially curated list of films to get you hyped for the release of 'House of Gucci'. So, have a read and flick on one of these glitzy and not-so-glamourous true crime films.
'War Dogs'
Todd Phillips made this absurd film after he finished up 'The Hangover' movies. While no less ridiculous in their plotlines, the difference is that 'War Dogs' is shockingly based on a true story. It follows two low-grade arms dealers (Miles Teller and Jonah Hill) who somehow land a three hundred million dollar contract to supply weapons to American soldiers in Afghanistan.
The plot is very loosely based on the real events but it doesn't stop the film being an entertaining watch. With some great performances from Hill, Teller, Bradley Cooper and a lesser-known Ana De Armas, the story kind of comes second to the morally ambiguous characters and the lengths they'll go to in order to ultimately profit from death.
'War Dogs' is available to watch on Netflix.
'Hustlers'
OK, it may not be the best movie to grace this list. But, there's no doubting that 'Hustlers' shares a lot of the glitz, glam and extravagance of the list's inspiration.
Another similarity to 'House of Gucci' is the presence of musicians-turned-actors in Jennifer Lopez, Lizzo and Cardi B. The trio, alongside Constance Wu, Keke Palmer, Julia Stiles and Lili Reinhart make up a group of strippers who drug rich men so they can max out their credit cards. Of course, that only gets you so far and eventually the group get caught up in some hot water.
'Hustlers' is available to watch on Netflix.
'American Hustle'
Extravagant hairdos? Check. Destructive familial dynamics? Check. All-star cast? Check. 2013's 'American Hustle' has everything we're looking for on this list and then some.
The film is based on the "Abscam" operation in the 70's and 80's which saw the FBI force two con artists, played by Amy Adams and Christian Bale, to set up an elaborate sting operation on corrupt politicians. Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Jeremy Renner also star.
'American Hustle' is available to watch on Amazon Prime.
'The Big Short'
We've all probably seen the 2016's Academy Award winning film by now, but it's definitely worth another watch. Telling the story of how the American Housing Bubble triggered the 2008 global recession, the film does a great job at pissing off its audience. Margot Robbie breaks the fourth wall from a bathtub in order to explain the overcomplicated bits more palatably. Anthony Bourdain and Selena Gomez also chime in from time to time, telling us about subprime mortgages and synthetic collateralized debt obligations.
The cast is stellar, consisting of Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt just to name a few. It was the beginning of director Adam McKay's run of films which tackle big, complicated subjects in a cohesive manner. 'Vice' followed and 'Don't Look Up' is on its way to complete the trend.
'The Big Short' is available to watch on Netflix.
'Molly's Game'
Jessica Chastain stars in this true story of an Olympic skier running the world's most elusive high-stakes poker game. She eventually became a target for the FBI and her clientele involved some major Hollywood names.
Over the years there's been much speculation about the names involved. Apparently Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire all took part in some infamous games in The Viper Room. Maguire is allegedly the inspiration behind 'Player X', the rather unpleasant character played by Michael Cera in the movie.
'Molly's Game' is available to watch on Netflix.
