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Rating: 4 out of 5
“Greed, for lack of a better word, is good.” – Gordon Gekko.
Wall Street has been a major force in TV and film. You have the classic, Trading Places, starring Eddie Murphy and Dan Akroyd, who go on a quest to ruin two old dudes with the commodity of Orange Juice. It is a funny and entertaining film. Nowadays, most Wall Street films show the greed that goes on in the industry. Movies like the Wolf of Wall Street and Boiler Room popularized the industry while influencing people to be stockbrokers. Before those films, Oliver Stone’s Wall Street was the one that inspired many, and Gordon Gekko was the one everyone wanted to be like.
Directed and co-written by Oliver Stone, Wall Street is a film that tells the story of a young stockbroker who becomes involved with a wealthy, unscrupulous corporate raider. Bud Fox (Fox) is an ambitious stock trader with an eye on wealth and would sell his soul to be in the big leagues. Bud’s primary focus is getting into the inner circle of Gordon Gekko (Douglas), one of the most prominent stock investors on Wall Street. After a chance meeting, Gekko takes Bud under his wing, where he learns that Gekko manipulates the market using inside information. Gekko believes that greed is good, and without it, there is no system or capitalism. Nothing in the world will stop Gekko from pursuing any deal that will make him wealthy. He uses anyone to make this dream possible. As Bud spirals into the world of Gekko, he soon finds himself getting information from any source and using it to gain an advantage. Life is good when Gekko sets his sights on Blue Star Airlines, the company where his dad works. Gekko is planning on becoming the majority owner to break it up and plunder the employees’ retirement fund. Bud must now choose his father or the man he idolizes.
As stated in the introduction, Wall Street is the OG film of Boiler Room and The Wolf of Wall Street. The story is meh these days because it has been played over more times than anyone can think of. A young, ambitious dude wants to become wealthy and would almost sell his soul. The young, ambitious dude has an idol that is considered the top of the top. The mentor takes the young one under his wing. The story shows the greed in people and what they would do to take it.
Each person in the film represents a particular part of the working community in America. I feel like people start off their careers as Bud. We want to impress our bosses, in a shit job, and want to become rich. We read self-help books and research how to make money, but only a few will achieve any of the wealth we desire. Bud represents the desire to make something of our lives.
Bud’s father, Charlie, represents the working class in America. He is part of the union and does everything by the book. He looks out for his community and fellow workers. When he hears of Bud’s and Gordon’s deal, he is very against it because he worked his way up the ladder and is a union representative.
The world looks up to people like Gordon or the ultra-rich. He is ambitious, will do anything necessary to make a deal, and knows how to manipulate people. He represents what capitalism is. He is the greed of the American soul. The greed of the American dream. He is the mentor many look for because he has it all, but deep down, he did it the wrong way. In the film, Gordon made his wealth by exploiting others and gaining the upper hand by insider trading, which is highly illegal. Hell, even Martha Stewart went to jail for it.
The story is mainly about Bud’s rise with Gordon and eventual fall. Bud wants to make a great impression and inadvertently tells Gordon about his dad’s airline. When Gordon hops on it and makes money, he wraps Bud in his web. We see Bud going deeper inside Gordon’s world as he trails Gordon’s rival, asking his friends for information and trying to make them rich. We also see Gordon giving Bud his ex-girlfriend. Straight up gave the man his sloppy seconds. When Gordon starts gaining a controlling interest in his dad’s company and will sell it off and destroy many families, Bud has a change of heart. Bud thinks of a plan to bring Gordon down and team up with Gordon’s rival. Watching Gordon become pissed is something to watch.
The star of the movie is Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko. This was a cultural and influential role for Douglas as it convinced many people to hit the stock market and become stockbrokers. I would say Douglas was cool, but he was a dick and seemed slimy. That is why he made such a great villain. He was the very definition of all the sleazy, rich, high-maintenance types like Patrick Bateman from American Psycho and so many others. Douglas deserved his Academy Award because he was just that good, entertaining, and evil.
Charlie Sheen as Bud Fox was okay. You can tell from earlier roles that many of the stars performed precisely the same way. Sheen is no different. He seemed to do the same exact performance in Stone’s other film, Platoon. He had his moments in the movie, but he seemed to be at the will of Douglas’s performance.
Wall Street is a decent Oliver Stone movie. It is not one of his best, but it is the OG for many other stockbroker films. The film revolves around the outstanding performance of Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko. Douglas made greed cool and good. When you are watching the Wolf of Wall Street and Boiler Room, make sure you start with this film. Remember, “Greed, for lack of a better word, is good.”
