Review of Wall Street (1987) by Sarfaraz A — 04 Jan 2013

Wall Street, a drama film co-written and directed by Oliver Stone. Film stars Michael Douglas, Charlie Sheen, Martin Sheen, Terrence Stamp, Daryl Hannah and Sean Young. Oliver Stone has mentioned that this film is his tribute to his father Lou Stone a stockbroker during the Great Depression. Michael Douglas won Best Actor Oscar award for playing greedy corporate raider Gordon Gekko. After 23 years a sequel was directed by Oliver Stone 'Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps' (tagline taken from the original film - only Douglas returned to play Gordon Gekko).

Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) is an aspiring young energetic stockbroker, who dreams about reaching top ladder by hooks or by crooks, he idolizes the Wall Street figure Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas); who is greedy corporate raider often bends rules to earn money on the notion of "greed, for lack of a better word, is good"..

Businessmen often turn in their loved ones for to gain profits, one way or the other. Oliver Stone's encouraging step to touch sensitive subject on financial corporations run by men-in-suits at Wall-Street might have stricken the very foundation of those who would have by then done all they could to hide their faces behind-the-closed-doors.

Michael Douglas was a perfect choice to play memorable role of Gordon Gekko a greedy Wall-Street businessman (having qualities and persona of rich tycoon - the producer of Oscar-winning film One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest). It does not surprise me that Douglas won Best Actor Oscar award for playing this sought-after role - just because he deserved it.

Charlie Sheen's youthful and zealous ambition to top the ladder to success, efficiently delivers the message of the character he plays. It wasn't just the quote by Gordon Gekko 'Greed for the lack of a proper word is good..' to paint himself, but overall the quote richly defines and portrays the character of Bud Fox in entire film. It was greed that brought Sheen to Douglas to implore him and to idolize him - but what he truly forgot was that zigzag ways to success always become shabby and ultimately bring us to nowhere.

Martin Sheen plays father to Charlie Sheen character, he is blue-collar maintenance foreman at Bluestar Airlines. Terrence Stamp's appearance lifted film's anxiety, while I couldn't understand the complicated relationship between Daryl Hannah and Michael Douglas; moreover what happened to her? Does Sheen come to know about extramarital relation of Douglas with Hannah?

It's enticing and moderate film, which purely sucks in Wall Street's inner and outer images. How people in suits rob the poor of their just rights?