Is Trading Places the best financial film ever?

The Big Short is released in the new year, but greed and financial crashes have long been popular cinema themes. Here are our business team's top picks

For filmmakers, the financial crisis just keeps on giving. January sees the UK release of The Big Short, the latest in a line of dramas and feature-length documentaries about the high-stakes world of financial markets leading up to the crash.

It is based on Michael Lewis's bestselling book about eccentric investors who predicted the demise of the US subprime mortgage market and bet against an increasingly shaky financial system. The film has already won plaudits for tackling chewy concepts, including collateralised debt obligations, through big name stars such as Steve Carell and Brad Pitt.