Review of Wall Street (1987) by Samra M — 07 Jul 2010

â??Man looks into the abyss, thereâ??s nothing staring back at him. At that moment man finds his character. And thatâ??s what keeps him out of the abyss.â??

This film deserves a re-watch, just for the lesson it conveys, so important and current. Regardless of your profession, it's always good to remember the importance of remaining true to your own values and be consistent with your character, because this is something you'll learn hopefully in the good way, or many times in the bad way, like Buddy Fox (Charlie Sheen) did.

Michael Douglas was absolutely flawless as the unscrupulous and charismatic Gordon Gekko, definitely THE performance of his career. "Greed, for lack of a better word, is good," Gekko claims. For a moment, even I was persuaded. I'd say passion and ambition (within reason) are necessary for progress, but we dont need a greed-is-good mentality in our market leading us to another financial crisis.

We humans sometimes seem to be presented with certain temptations masqueraded as 'opportunities for success' that somehow end up shaping the course of our lives based on our choices. If we dont accept our limitations and work (and do the very best!) with what we have, we might end up knowingly taking the wrong turn in futile desperation. Again, it's good to have ambitions and work hard for them, but it's even greater to combine that with patience and moral values.

Bud Fox had a choice, he knew which one was right but he knowingly chose wrong, driven by greed and the pressure he put on himself to be successful and do it quick. As he was told at one point: "Good things, sometimes, take time.".