It’s hard to watch this film with fresh eyes, because every film about the stock market since has been profoundly influenced by this film. Director Oliver Stone’s (PLATOON) father was a stockbroker so the filmmaker had a close personal insight into the cutthroat world of stock trading.
Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen, HOT SHOTS!) is an eager young broker, who keeps calling big-time investor Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas, FATAL ATTRACTION) so that he can get 5-minutes to pitch ideas to the man. As their relationship develops, Gordon asks Bud to do more and more shady dealings, including obtaining insider information, which is a federal offense. But Bud goes along for the ride. Along the way, he makes big bucks and lands a beautiful artist girlfriend named Darien Taylor (Daryl Hannah, SPLASH). The real battle of ethics comes when Bud tries to save the airline that his father Carl (Martin Sheen, APOCALYPSE NOW) works for.
Douglas and Martin Sheen give strong performances. Charlie Sheen is adequate in the lead role, but has a hard time with some of the more emotional moments. In the end, the film is more about what it is saying then how. Gekko’s “greed is good” speech at the paper company’s investors’ meeting is classic. The film perfectly captures the no-holds-barred attitude that permeates the stock market. There is little loyalty when profits are first in mind. It’s sad that American business has become what this film portrays. What’s even sadder is that it hasn’t changed a bit since 1987 when his film came out.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
