White Collar Crime Goes to the Movies

Abstract

This essay discusses the advantages of using movies about white collar crime in white collar and property crime courses. Films (e.g. Quiz Show) offer deeper insights into the causes and effects of such crimes than the summary of facts found in cases. Movies (e.g. Catch Me if You Can) illustrate that motives are often more complex than the greed narrative that is commonly attributed to white collar defendants. Others (e.g. Margin Call) show the inherent risk of unlawful conduct in large, profit-driven firms. The essay offers a plan for using movies in white collar classes and seminars and provides a list of appropriate movies.

Keywords: white collar crime, movies, films, white collar crime movies, pedagogy