Oliver Stone opened fire on the greed decade of the 1980s with this morality tale set on Wall Street. The film stars Charlie Sheen as Bud Fox, an ambitious rookie stockbroker from a blue-collar background who is magnetised by Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas), a Mephistophelean superbroker who specialises in corporate takeovers. .. Read more
| Starring | Michael Douglas, Charlie Sheen, Martin Sheen, Daryl Hannah |
|---|---|
| Director | Oliver Stone |
| Genres | Drama |
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Oliver Stone opened fire on the greed decade of the 1980s with this morality tale set on Wall Street. The film stars Charlie Sheen as Bud Fox, an ambitious rookie stockbroker from a blue-collar background who is magnetised by Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas), a Mephistophelean superbroker who specialises in corporate takeovers. Despite his initial resistance to Bud's entreaties, Gekko finally takes on the eager beaver as his protege, schooling him in the kind of slash-and-burn maneuvers that have taken him to the top. This style is far more attractive to Bud than the more prosaic but principled approach to investing preached by veteran Lou Mannheim (Hal Holbrook). And, at first, it's impossible to dispute his preference; as Bud's life moves into the fast lane, he quickly acquires an upscale apartment and girlfiend, interior designer Darien (Darryl Hannah). But when Gekko demands that Bud not only break the law but directly undermine his union leader father, Carl (Martin Sheen), and jeopardise the jobs and lives of his friends and family, he realises that the cost of success might be more than he's willing to pay. WALL STREET is a riveting, testosterone-fueled tour of the Street's upper echelons, featuring standout performances by Douglas and Martin Sheen.
| Starring | Michael Douglas, Charlie Sheen, Martin Sheen, Daryl Hannah, James Spader, Terence Stamp, James Karen, Sylvia Miles, Sean Young, Hal Holbrook, John C. McGinley |
|---|---|
| Director | Oliver Stone |
| Studio | 20TH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs Blu-ray: 2 hrs 1 min |
| Certificate | |
| Collections | 100 Eighties Greats |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | English |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Subtitles | Czech, Danish, Finnish, Hebrew, Hungarian, Icelandic, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish |
| Released | DVD: 20 Aug 2001 Blu-ray: 17 Mar 2008 Production year: 1987 |
| Format | DVD |
Oliver Stone opted for a change of direction following the Oscar-winning success of his Vietnam War drama Platoon with this stylish morality tale about insider trading — a topical subject at the time. Charlie Sheen gives a believable performance as the gullible broker who's prepared to break the law in pursuit of riches, and he's matched by his father Martin (also playing his screen father) as the blue-collar union representative who takes a dim view of his son's wheeler-dealing. Stealing the show, however, is Oscar winner Michael Douglas, who is memorable as ruthless corporate raider Gordon Gekko. Unusually, Stone's trademark neurotic camera movements actually seem appropriate here as the film details the titanic struggle for good over greed.
Almost documentary in its detailed account of financial skulduggery but slipping ultimately into sentimentality, the film is marked by a brilliant performance from Michael Douglas as the scheming megalomaniac Gordon Gekko.
Oliver Stone breaks open the inside world of corporate America, to deliver a story that is truly unforgettable. Already a genuine classic, this film combines intelligent screenplay with art and charisma, to produce a remarkable piece of cinema. A stark look at corporate greed, illegal trading, and general outlook on our own human nature, convincing, sincere and totally without the usual Hollywood sweetners. A genuine masterpiece.
This film shows the emotions behind the world of stock market trading, and the asset stripping financial moguls, people that supposedly have little or no conscience about their actions and are only motivated by greed. On this latter subject, the speech that Michael Douglas delivers in the film is extremely iconic as is the film itself. It brilliantly captures the mood of the 80's. Its a must see. I think that the ending could have been better but the film is still one of the best of the period. 'lunch is for wimps', 'greed is good' etc all the phrases that carried on into the 90's originated from this film.
Michael Douglas has broken his silence about his troubled son, insisting he is "devastated and disappointed" by Cameron's recent arrest on drug-trafficking charges. Cameron is currently behind bars at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City after violating the terms of his home detention by allegedly asking his girlfriend to smuggle heroin to him in a toothbrush. The Wall Street star has remained silent since the 30-year-old actor was arrested during a raid on his room at the... Read more