Wall Street is the quintessential portrayal of 80’s greed. The 1980’s were known for money making schemes and giant brick phones. After the success of Platoon, director Oliver Stone chose an equally cutthroat battlefield to explore. Like Platoon, Stone drew inspiration from himself and his stockbroker father. I’m not the biggest Wall Street expert, but I understand how sleazy and underhanded it can get. Wall Street takes place in 1985 despite releasing in 1987 since insider trading was at an all time high at the time. Bud Fox is an aspiring New York City stockbroker who dreams of one day being as wealthy as businessman Gordon Gekko. Despite his reputation as a producer, Michael Douglas was born to play the unscrupulous corporate raider.
Gekko is a different kind of villain who establishes trust, then betrays you for financial gain. Douglas truly earned his Best Actor Academy Award win with his famous speech that “Greed, for lack of a better word, is good.” Wall Street inspired a generation of stockbrokers who lived by Gekko’s divisive motto. Though confusing at times, the passionate acting helped me understand stock trading better. Charlie Sheen is equally committed as Bud who becomes just as greedy as his mentor who exchanges insider information. Sheen is on the same acting level as his father Martin Sheen who represents the honest working class union. His father’s Bluestar airline is what leads to redemption for Bud.
Wall Street is filled with great performances from John C. McGinley, Hal Holbrook, Terence Stamp, and James Spader, but there is one outlier. Daryl Hannah truly earned her Worst Supporting Actress Razzie win as Bud’s material obsessed girlfriend. Hannah was nowhere near as committed as Douglas and everyone knew it. Even her Blade Runner co-star Sean Young wanted her fired. She practically reads all of her lines with no character. Making Wall Street the only movie with an Oscar and a Razzie to its name. Fortunately the Oscar caliber work overshadows the minor miscast. When it comes to corporate greed, Wall Street has all the answers for how not to make a quick buck.

Bud Fox at the office with Gordon Gekko
Followed by: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps