Review of Wall Street (1987) by Robert L — 18 May 2010

Stone makes money talk.

Soon to be released is Oliver Stones "Wall Street : Money Never Sleeps" so I took a look at the first film, made over 20 years earlier...

Things to know about Wall Street before you start, it was made in the 1980's, a time when everyone wanted to be a stockbroker, meaning that everyone understood insider terms. I was born in 1988, so in the 1980's I didn't want to be a stockbroker, I didn't want for anything really apart from toys, food and sleep, that doesn't mean I can't understand or relate to Wall Street it means that for most people under the age of 30 you might have a hard time understanding all the terms used.. .

Something I can relate to in Wall Street is dreams, and in Wall Street Bud Fox has a dream. He wants to be a player, a face, he wants to be somebody, but everyone has to start somewhere and Bud is sick of being at the bottom, and sooner or later his hard work might just pay off.

Wall Street is not so different from Goodfellas, Scarface, or Taxi Driver. The story of a nobody who wanted to be a somebody. Oliver Stone does not want us to miss that Stock broking is the acceptable face of crime, how from the top to the bottom the system is corrupted, it's a secret world within a world, much like a fantasy in that respect. I suppose that's how it must have seemed for a lot of people in the 80's; chasing the dream of having your own office in New York, to play the stock market and win.

I'm going to make this simple- Oliver Stone's direction is phenomenal- the man directs the film perfectly, it's totally flawless. He lets the strength of the actors shine through and when needed he adds a poignant moment of style, like when Bud enters the office for the final time. He knows his actors and understands the power of cinema, he was a pioneer (at the time) for movie making, and nothing illustrates that better than Wall Street.

What is unique (or maybe just at the time unique) about Wall Street is it shows how someone can make it to the top from being corrupted, Bud Fox is not a good person, and he gets to the top of the world in the quickest way he can, he works hard until he sees an opportunity to escape and grabs it with both hands. Bud Fox is an anti-hero. Wall Street is a warning that if you want to make it to the top sometimes you have to sell your soul to get there. That's one of the questions Wall Street asks, how much of yourself are you willing to give to achieve your dreams?

In Wall Street there are only 4 performances worth mentioning. First and foremost it's a stroke of pure genius to have the father and son duo of Martin and Charlie Sheen as father and son on screen, you can't manufacture the chemistry they have, its beautiful. It's also an outstanding gamble to put the (then) unknown Charlie Sheen in the main role, Stone gives him an opportunity to shine and he takes it. Sheen is both powerful and reserved, he stumbles but every fall is deliberate. Supporting Sheen is (Scrubs) John C. McGinley who is perfect for the failure friend; he is inoffensive and forgettable just as the role demands. However the real star of Wall Street is of course, Michael Douglas as the borderline evil Gordon Gekko. Douglas dominates the scenes he is in and the overall feel of the movie.

However, Stone is such a clever director/writer that he places a man who is lacking morals but determined, in the centre (Fox), gives him a role model, who could be seen as a father figure (Gekko) and then disperses people, who do or don't help with his morality, around him; his friends, his dad, his girlfriend, it's a perfect blend, like a cocktail that quenches your thirst.

Wall Street is a strong story of morality, much like The Catcher And the Rye. It's as strong today as it ever was and deserves the place it claims in Hollywoods history.