Wall Street Review

MPAA Rating: R
Released: 1987

Oliver Stone's Wall Street is an essential 80's film that captures the cutthroat world of the stock market as a young man is taken under the wing of a multi-millionaire corporate raider that has no sympathy for the companies or lives he destroys so long as he's making money. But the young protégé soon discovers that although the illegal world of insider trading can gain him unbelievable sums of money, it can also make him lose both his freedom and humanity.

Wall Street presents the fictitious story of Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen), a young stockbroker that is barely making ends meet though dreams of the day he too can stand among the multi-millionaire masters of the stock game. Carl Fox (Martin Sheen), his father, disagrees with the boy's lifestyle and tries to convince him to get a stable blue-collar job at Bluestar Airlines. During one of his meetings with his father, he learns some insider information from his father concerning the future of the airlines.

While he struggles to make a living, Bud hungrily pursues a meeting with the infamous Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas), one of the richest and most brilliant traders in the business. One day he gets his chance to pitch his stocks to Gekko, and when he fails to impress with any of his legitimate opportunities he enters the world of insider trading by tipping Gekko about the unpublicized Bluestar Airlines information. Gekko hungrily feeds upon the tip and makes millions. To Gekko, it's a drop in the bucket, but to Bud it's a windfall that opens the door for much greater things.

Impressed with Bud Fox's hunger, Gekko decides to capitalize on the young broker's naivety and greed and make him pursue more insider information jewels. This way he can continue making fortunes while his hands are kept clean of the potential legalities. Naturally the awestruck Bud is more than happy continue working under the Wall Street master's guidance, and by doing so he finally obtains the financially lucrative lifestyle he so desperately wanted.

But when one of the deals he helped manage risks destroying and liquidating Bluestar Airlines, leaving his father and countless other employees out of a job, Bud must do some soul searching and see if this is really the way he wants to make a fortune.

Wall Street is a riveting film that will forever remain a classic and compelling snapshot of life in the 80's stock world. It also contains one of the most popular speeches ever given by a movie character: Michael Douglas' "greed is good" speech. Whether you agree with the capitalist notion or not, it was a thoroughly absorbing and powerful speech.

Michael Douglas took home an Oscar for his performance as Gordon Gekko, and it was an Oscar well deserved. This is one of the defining moments in the actor's long and impressive career; he perfectly captured the essence of a ruthless Wall Street baron. Each scene the viewer is spellbound by his magnetic intensity, despite the fact that some may be horrified by his ruthless manner.

Charlie Sheen does a fine job as the young protégé anxious to make a name for himself in a merciless business. Selecting Martin Sheen to play his father was also an inspired choice, for it makes the twosome's relationship onscreen authentic and convincing. The family resemblance is clear for any viewer to see.

Everything from the acting to the authenticity of the stock business (Oliver Stone hired multiple industry experts as advisors) is perfect, making this an essential 80's classic. That being said, not everyone will enjoy Wall Street. The movie is always intense, mostly due to Michael Douglas' feral performance, but it tackles the stock industry head-on. If the idea of watching brokers buy out companies and race to beat each other through any means necessary does not sound in the least appealing to you, there's a chance you won't be able to fully immerse yourself in the movie.

That being said, Wall Street is a commanding movie that will appeal to those seeking out solid-gold performances and a fascinating look at the murky world of insider trading and corporate buyouts.

Movie rating: 10 stars

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