Wall Street

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Summary: WALL STREET (the essential guide to the insanity of the 80s)
Review: WALL STREET

Oliver Stone, after conquering the panic and fear of vietnam in PLATOON, followed up with a gung assault on Reagan era greed and gluttony and insider trading. WALL STREET is that film's title, and a young, wide-eyed Charlie Sheen plays the blue collar boy that grows up to be a white collar success on as a broker, all the while breaking his dad's heart. A surrogate father of sorts comes Sheen's way in the devilish shape of Michael Dougas as a huge power player that mutters the immortal tagline: "Greed is good." Sheen is lead down the wrong path and ultimately has to decide between his stacks of cash or his own integrity.

This great film is quite a morality play and is just one of the shiny gems adorning Stone's filmography. It is a film that has no clear cut protagonist, just a man who wants to be honest and get rich quick, but finds that one can rarely be both. This film is quickly shaping up to be one of the keenest insights into that decadent decade... a film that will more than likely stand the test of time.

It is truly a contemporary classic.

Another note: The movie would be great on a double bill with the recently released BOILER ROOM. One key scene in that film has the leads gathered together at home viewing WALL STREET. These shady young brokers know each and every line by heart, showing viewers exactly what these men are and what they want to be. BOILER ROOM is not as exceptional as WALL STREET, but a good flick nonetheless.

Rating:
Summary: A classic!
Review: This movie captures Americas' obsession with all things material in mid to late eighties. Michael Douglas and Charlie Sheen give performances of their careers. Perhaps Oliver Stone's best movie as well. Dialog is clever. Screenplay is fast moving and keeps you at the edge of your seat throughout. The movie is entertaining, honest and yet lets you draw your own conclusions. The Wall Street types will probably idolize Gordon Gekko ("Greed is good!"). In fact, a clip from Wall Street was prominently featured in a recent movie called Boiler Room. The blue-collar worker types will perhaps admire the father (an airline machinist) of Charlie Sheen's character. While the rest sympathize with Charlie Sheen (ambitious stockbroker) who is presented with ethical choices and opportunities that any mortal will have a hard time reconciling. He makes some good decisions and some not so wise choices. This movie is a must see!

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Summary: The real thing!
Review: Oliver Stone researched this movie pretty good to portray Wall Street behind the scenes as authentic as possible. And while the financial dimensions from when this movie was made have significantly increased to at least ten times higher amounts today, the basic principles still apply. That's why the movie comes across fresh. Michael Douglas gives an excellent performance and Charlie Sheen is doing good too. Douglas plays the wealthy financier Gordon Gekko as he takes on one deal after the other with information being the most important commodity . . . insider information that is. The movie isn't made on a small budget either like some of the recent copycats, but instead the beach house, the offices, the plane, the cars (except for Charlie Sheen's car), the wardrobe, all have style. While Gekko is supposed to be the bad guy, he comes across as very likeable and he shows us capitalism at its finest . . . it's a game as money is never lost but only transferred and whoever has the most in the end, wins. The question in the movie of how much is enough is answered there with it's not a matter of enough, and it certainly inspired the bull market of the 90s with its crystal clear reality of no limits and it's never going to be enough. Greed is good as Gekko proclaims in this motion picture.

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Summary: wallstreet
Review: This movie was not very good. The movie was slow, boring and the plot was not a good one. Better luck next time guys, need to burn this one.

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Summary: Our thoughts....not Oliver Stones
Review: Sure, Oliver Stone is a typical Hollywood left-wing liberal and he wants you to think that anyone who would take part in the wonderful REAL world of true capitalism is evil. But, maybe he should realize that he is grossly rich. Why is that ok? And not making a career out of being a Wall Street entrepreneur? I enjoyed the movie for what I thought of it, not for what Stone was trying to say. Yes, there are those of us out here who enjoy getting rich investing other people's money! So stop pointing the finger and realize that it's what makes our country great! RUGGED INDIVIDUALISM and the true spirit of capitalism. AND FOR ONCE STOP TAKING SHOTS AT ONE OF THE GREATEST PRESIDENTS THIS COUNTRY HAS EVER SEEN!RONALD REAGAN

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Summary: watch again please
Review: All you high finance types really make me laugh. If you think this film celebrates American capitalism, you must be closing your eyes and humming through half the scenes. Quick re-cap: Wall Street losers- greedy criminals Gordon Gecko and Bud Fox, Wall Street winners- the SEC, the airline unions, and the investor Lawrence Wildman who wants to save jobs. So everyone who gets excited by this film: please zip up your pants, splash some cold water on your face, and reflect on what Oliver Stone was really trying to say.

Rating:
Summary: Wall Street
Review: A great look at the world of stock trading, Oliver Stone's Wall Street is very realistic. It tells the story of young Bud Fox, an eager stock broker working for a semi-successful firm in New York City. He one day gives Gordon Gekko, played by Michael Douglas, in an Oscar winning role, a call on his birthday. Gordon is one of the richest men in the industry, in a donald Trump like role. He gives him the tip on Bluestar Airlines, with which Bud's father works, and gave him the tip on the stock. Gekko takes the deal, and makes a killing. He then takes young Bud under his wing and shows him the ropes. He gives him many rewards, women, money, cars, but the insider information Bud gave him is illegal. But, if Bud doesn't tell anyone, then Gordon won't. If. The writing is excellent, as is with an Oliver Stone movie. This movie came along before Stone began to use the fast and shaky camerea techniques he has used in Nixon, Natural Born Killers, and Any Given Sunday, so it's easier to follow. Douglas definitely deserves his Oscar, but Stone should have also won for direction. This is a must see.

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Summary: Real question.
Review: Majority of the people who reviewed this movie enjoyed it a great deal. One of the reviews said that it was an anti-america film. If that was Stones intention he failed. Read the reviews, Americans value our greed and our win at all costs attitude. It is a fun movie with excellent quotable lines. GG and Bud are two of the best charecters to come out of a "business world" film. Remember "money never sleeps" neither does our undying thirst for power.

Rating:
Summary: fantastic
Review: When I first started college, as an Accounting major, I LOVED this movie. Watched it daily. But like most people I switched majors a few times, and I'm now graduating as a Liberal Arts major. Yep, this means I'm now a bleeding-heart liberal who took classes on Philosophy, Marx and such. And I still LOVE this movie, but for different reasons, the REAL reason. Gecko's speech to Budd about capitalism and American society is the true voice and point of this film. "Now Budd... you're not naive enough to think we're living in a democracy are you! "

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Summary: Am. Ex.'s Gotta Hitman Out For Me...
Review: ..."Wall Street" is evvything "Godfather III" aspired to be, and obviously without the Sicilian Opera carnage...and I'm probably one of the few souls who dug GF III, but that's another review.

Michael Douglas as Gekko turns in one of his most compelling performances to date, where he's spewing fire most of the time--did you know that lunch is for wimps and that greed for want of a better word is good? Dig it. I mean, he doesn't play the victim of some femme fetale like in at least three of his films done in this era. (Can you imagine someone getting into that fix like he did in 'Disclosure'? Definitely one for the liberal audiences.) Here, he is a slimy, cutthroat dude who really cannot be trusted. His job is in, like the late, great Walter Matthau said in one of his last comedies, 'moih-gerhs and ack-wa-sishuns'.

Gekko tries to stab his young broker's back by buying the majority shares of a small airlines company and selling out at a tidy profit before he dismantles it into oblivion...the heck with who being hurt by all this, maybe he'll get a measly 4 million out of these goings on. Bud Fox, the young broker who idolised the great Gekko, has a stroke of ethics and moves to save the company--it is the same company in which his Dad has put long hours at and from which Dad was able to put his 'hotshot broker son' thru college. Plus, doggone it, Gekko's life just don't look as glamorous as it used to....to save the company, Bud has to take down Gekko, and hence himself, by getting Gekko to admit on tape that insider information he's received was gained illegally. Like most of it is.

The dialog, the acting, the topic--money, making money and money men--are grrreat. A very good movie to waste a Saturday afternoon on. Oh, as far as my review title goes, I chose it because I know exactly what Bud Fox means...