Review of Wall Street (1987) by Berringer C — 28 Jan 2019

Money easily made is money easily lost, or so the old adage goes, and yet there will always be people who are suckered into the dream of becoming rich overnight. In this film, Bud Fox is one of those people. He has talent, he has ambition, he has brains, and yet when confronted by the cold, hard reality of quick cash, Bud Fox folds like an origami swan. Michael Douglas won a well-deserved Academy Award for this, his best performance to date. He has created a slimy character in the form of Gordon Gekko, a man who honestly believes the underhanded activities he promotes are not only a profitable necessity but a patriotic mandate to boot. Gekko's perception of a free market society versus a democratic society is one of the most outstanding cinematic monologues outlining the idea of wealth dominating humanity.

Douglas doesn't walk away with the entire show though. Charlie Sheen (as Bud Fox) really comes into his own with this film. "Platoon" gave him the opportunity to shine; "Wall Street" gave him the balls to stretch himself farther than I ever thought he'd be capable. It's a shame to see how far he has fallen since this film. Charlie's father Martin also steals his own portion of the spotlight in a role that should have won him his own Academy Award. His tense stare down with his son in an elevator was magnificent. For her part, Daryl Hannah is one of the most underrated actresses of her generation. She always had a tendency to be shoved into the role of the woman with a pretty face ("Splash," "Roxanne," etc.) and she always had a penchant to instill a vitality and an intellect into those roles far beyond what was written for them.

Director Oliver Stone apparently could do no wrong during the latter half of the Eighties. Between this film, "Salvador," "Platoon," "Talk Radio," and "Born on the Fourth of July," Stone crafted a viciously insightful catalog of must-see cinema, shredding every outmoded concept he came across. Stones captures the pompous charisma of high-level stock trading and peels apart the layers until we're left with the unflattering truth. "Wall Street" will always rank high on my list of favorite films from 1987. Maybe it will become one of your favorites, too.