Wall Street

Wall Street (1987)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

A second hand broker (Charlie Sheen) dreams of becoming the next Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas), a major player on Wall Street, and eventually gets his shot to impress the big wig. Soon the kid learns that Wall Street is full of lies, cheating and greed and Gekko is willing to take him under his wing but soon he realizes that at some point enough is enough. It's been a while since I watched this film but I was really shocked to see how well it holds up today even though I'm sure many people would attack director Stone for making the Wall Street guys too much of a villain and perhaps adding too much of his conspiracy theories to trading. I don't think there's any doubt that Stone is using this film as a "warning" to those who give their last dollars to these major companies only to have bloodsuckers like Gekko come down and become richer while the poor become poorer. Some would argue this is overdamatics on the part of Stone but I'm sure there would be many who would say he was shining the light on evil greed. Either way this film holds up remarkably well thanks in large part to the terrific performances but also because the characters are so wonderfully written that even if you know nothing about trading it's likely you're going to know both Gekko and the kid. I think what's so remarkable about the film is that it really does play out like a Hitchcock thriller because you just know the kid is eventually going to get in over his head and while watching the thing you can't help but feel you're walking on eggshells as he becomes richer and richer yet he's too stupid to see the price he's going to end up paying. Tom Cruise appears to have become a respectable actor out of this period but I think Sheen gets overlooked as he certainly had a strong resume at this point of his career. He certainly brings that hot shot attitude to the role but he also has a vulnerability that works extremely well especially towards the end when he starts to see what he has done. Douglas, in an Oscar-winning performance, is downright masterful as the snake Gekko and you can't help but on one hand hate this guy but at the same time you can't help but want to be him with the power and attitude. Martin Sheen often gets overlooked in the film but a lot of the connection one has with the movie comes from him. John C. McGinley, Hal Holbrook, James Karen, Terence Stamp, Sean Young, James Spader, Saul Rubinek and Daryl Hannah add to their characters and deliver the goods as well. I think Stone's direction is a major point to the film's success as he perfectly handles the bigger picture of the greed of Wall Street but also the smaller relationships in the film. Again, the film works perfectly as a thriller but there's also a lot of heart and soul in the film thanks to the relationship between the father and son.

I can sometimes find Oliver Stone an overrated director but WALL STREET is the best I've seen of his yet. A quite wonderful exploration of a topic that's undoubtedly mystifying to most people, WALL STREET explores the world of the stockbroker in an interesting and engaging way. That along the way it showcases '80s greed and excuse and highlights a career-best performance from Michael Douglas as the reptilian Gordon Gecko is merely incidental.

That Stone also elicits some compelling turns from a commendably straight Charlie Sheen, RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD'S James Karen as a delightfully weaselly boss and Terence Stamp just adds to the fun. A decent story, well told and acted by a cast of professionals.

I totally adoire this movie, fabulous gritty no holds barred performance from the brilliant Mr Douglas, proving that sex is by no means the overwhelming theme of his movies as some seem to imagine.

I love the anxious, terrifyingly rapid advance given to the young Bud Fox from a chance comment in Gekkos daunting office, the instant changes of mood by Micheal swinging from interviewing to lambasting an industry peer on the phone and back to interviewing without a flicker.

Inspirational in the 'no fear' modus operandi of Gordon and then Bud, almost 'you can do anything if you dare' which has always given me a lift when I watch it.

Lush settings, and marvellous counterpointing performance of Terence Stamp, illustrating the 'Gekko' figure scenario in turn to Gordon nas Gordon had to Bud...

Await all Michaels movies with bated breath...Falling down....wonderful...but thats another story

Deceptively deep and complex picture from co-writer/director Oliver Stone paints a vivid portrait of 1980s over-excesses as the age of "Me, Me, Me" (otherwise known as the 1980s) is explored through the eyes of a young, eager and impatient stockbroker (Charlie Sheen) who moonlights as a liaison to a heartless, ruthless and crazily greedy mega-millionaire (Michael Douglas in a smashing Oscar-winning turn) who seemingly has his hands on most every aspect of big business. Naturally dilemmas occur in every direction for Sheen as the lifestyle he wants comes at a very heavy price (both literally and figuratively). A strained relationship with his father (real-life dad Martin Sheen) and a whirlwind fling with the superficial Daryl Hannah just leads to more and more cinematic fireworks. "Wall Street" is really the only film I can think of to deal seriously with its subject matter. Everyone of the age remembers the yuppie phase this nation had in the mid-1980s. Young urban professionals did their best to make as much as they could as fast as possible (sometimes through crooked and illegal means). The idea of retiring at 40 seemed like a good notion, but those same people with those thoughts are still working today (they never made their millions or they made their money and ended up going into a lifetime of debt because they spent their earnings quicker than they could make it). Ultimately the 1980s was good while it lasted, but good like that never lasts forever and that becomes painfully clear as Sheen's character becomes a warning to all those who think they can out-think and manipulate a strained economic system. Douglas is a complete revelation. I mean there is no doubt that he is an excellent performer, but his portrayal of a money- and power-mad player in New York is truly one of those instances of classic career work being achieved. Super-slick, wickedly intelligent and definitely a thinking person's movie, "Wall Street" continues to strike a chord when looking back at a very unique time of American economic history. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

With his diabolical charm, slicked-back hair, city-college chip on his shoulder, and era-defining "greed-is-good" mantra, Gordon Gekko may by one of the all-time great film roles. Michael Douglas's performance as Gekko won a deserved Oscar in 1988 and makes "Wall Street" required viewing.

There are two schools of thought when it comes to money. Some economists argue money is an expanding resource, and prosperity a rising tide that lifts all boats. For Gekko, the truth is simpler and more brutal: The rich get richer off the backs of everyone else. "Money itself isn't lost or made, it's simply transferred," he tells his young protégé Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen).

No question writer-director Oliver Stone feels the same way, as he presents this tale of wealth acquisition at its very apex, lower Manhattan circa 1985. In practically every frame showcasing the opulent world Gekko travels can be glimpsed beggars, fishermen, window washers, people who never will have access to the white-collar lifestyles their lowly status perversely enables for others.

For some, this zero-sum take of America clouds their enjoyment of "Wall Street" the movie. It shouldn't. You don't have to buy Shakespeare's version of history in "Richard III" to enjoy the morally bankrupt character at its center, and you don't need to adopt Stone's philosophy to enjoy Gekko.

In fact Stone's attitude about the Street, presented here as a kind of Hogarth caricature, helps make the film so entertaining. He captures the scenes of floor trading and calls and puts in journalistic detail, but leaves room for the human equation. And he has fun, a lot of fun, especially with Gekko, a character who makes you laugh with his pithy comments even as he sets about using poor Fox as a human ashtray.

On an upcoming charity event for the Bronx Zoo: "That's the thing about WASPs. They hate people, but they love animals." On a rival: "If he was in the funeral business, no one would ever die!" To Fox: "You had what it took to get into my office, sport, the question is do you have what it takes to stay."

Fox wants to stay, and allows no SEC regulation to block his wayward path. Stone's father was a stockbroker, and so the director takes special care to show us that all Wall Streeters aren't bad. There's Hal Holbrook, almost too saintly and somewhat detached from day-to-day business of his brokerage house to the point he seems a slumming B-school don. John C. McGinley delivers a standout performance as a vulgar, greedy friend of Fox's who we nevertheless find ourselves sympathetic to, especially as Fox ditches him for Gekko.

But of course it's really Gekko's world, as we watch him at his desk, punching telephone-line buttons and encouraging subordinates to "rip their throats out," checking his blood pressure with one hand while smoking a cigarette in the other. His centerpiece moment, his speech to the stockholders at Teldar Paper, is a compelling soliloquy not because it showcases his brutality but because it allows him a chance to explain his philosophy in a way that sounds logical, even honorable, until you think through the implications. That's Stone's screen writing at its best.

Sheen is also masterful in his role, playing the naive waif who wants to swim with the sharks and thus giving Douglas daylight to run. Too bad there's a tacked-on romance that never really works, in part because the character of Darien Taylor is not well developed, in part because Darryl Hannah hadn't yet met Quentin Tarantino. The ending is a bit too neat, and loses the subtlety that makes the rest of the film so good.

But the heck with subtlety when you have Gordon Gekko. Douglas is the reason for watching "Wall Street," and a terrific one. Just watch the way he looks at Bud, eyebrows raised to hold a pregnant silence, or enjoys the discomfort of his arbitrager-rival Sir Larry (a solid Terence Stamp). Stone knew what he had here, and makes the most of it. As a twisted morality tale, "Wall Street" is a thrilling, scenic ride down a dark and dangerous road.