Greed isn’t just about money. It's the fuel that drives ambition, the force that turns men and women into monsters. From high-stakes boardrooms to ruthless criminal enterprises, these 10 films explore the ugly consequences of human ambition, where nothing is ever enough and every step towards greatness is paid in moral currency.
In ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’, Martin Scorsese tells the chilling true story of the Osage murders, where white settlers killed for oil-rich land. Greed eats away at love, family, and morality, turning a community’s legacy into a blood-soaked tragedy. Scorsese’s portrayal of humanity’s darkest urges is a stark reminder of the lengths people go when ambition and power collide.
In ‘Uncut Gems’, Howard Ratner (played by Adam Sandler) is a jeweller who thrives on risk. But this isn’t about wealth alone – it’s about the rush. The film takes us deep into the psyche of a man addicted to danger, and every decision he makes brings him closer to self-destruction. The film masterfully captures the addictive nature of greed, showing how it drives people to the edge of ruin.
‘There Will Be Blood’ is the epic tale of Daniel Plainview’s descent into madness, as his unrelenting thirst for oil drives him to ruthless extremes. Paul Thomas Anderson uses Plainview's rise to power as a chilling metaphor for the moral decay that accompanies unbridled ambition. It’s a story where success means losing your soul.
The Coen Brothers' ‘No Country for Old Men’ explores the intersection of greed and fate. When Llewelyn Moss stumbles upon a bag of drug money, he sets off a deadly chain of events. Anton Chigurh, the relentless hitman, represents the inescapable consequences of greed – fate is a force that can’t be bargained with.
In ‘Nightcrawler’, Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) uses his camera as a weapon, exploiting violence for fame and fortune. The film dissects the lengths to which people will go for success in a world that rewards voyeurism and exploitation. Bloom’s obsession with becoming "the best" is a grim commentary on how greed distorts empathy and turns a human being into a mere instrument of ambition.
In the world of Indian politics, power is not just fought for; it's devoured. ‘Raajneeti’, directed by Prakash Jha, takes inspiration from the Mahabharata to explore a world where family loyalty is secondary to ambition. Each character in this high-stakes political drama is a pawn in a deadly game where moral compasses shatter under the weight of greed and desire for power.
In ‘Joji’, set in the affluent yet suffocating confines of a wealthy Kerala family, the eponymous protagonist (played by Fahadh Faasil) slowly unravels under the crushing weight of his ambition. Like Shakespeare's Macbeth, Joji’s desperation for power leads to betrayal, bloodshed, and a total breakdown of morality. This dark film illustrates how greed for power destroys lives, no matter how much one tries to mask it as ambition.
Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ is a satirical dive into the world of excess, where Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) goes from rags to riches, driven by greed and drug-fueled excess. It’s a manic portrayal of capitalism gone wild, where the pursuit of money leads to personal and professional ruin. Belfort's life story is a cautionary tale of greed unchecked by any moral restraints.
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‘The Big Short’ exposes the greed that led to the 2008 financial crisis. Adam McKay’s dark comedy follows a group of outsiders who saw the crash coming while Wall Street partied on. The film skillfully uses humour to demonstrate how unchecked financial greed – disguised as ‘genius’ – led to the destruction of millions of lives.
Vishal Bhardwaj’s ‘Kaminey’ follows two brothers who pursue very different dreams. One is entangled in Mumbai's criminal underworld, the other struggles to escape it. As their paths converge in a whirl of deception and greed, Bhardwaj crafts a dark, pulsing tale of ambition, survival, and betrayal, where even love is tainted by desire for power.
Greed is universal, from the corridors of power to the streets of despair. These films reveal how ambition, envy, and the hunger for control leave destruction in their wake.
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