Oliver Stone: Wall Street

A young and impatient stockbroker is wiling to do anything to get to the top, including trading on illegal inside information taken through a ruthless and greedy corporate raider who takes the youth under his wing. – IMDB.com

Director – Oliver Stone

Writer – Stanley Weiser, Oliver Stone

Cast                                                    Character

Michael Douglas                 …           Gordon Gekko

Charlie Sheen                      …           Bud Fox

Daryl Hannah                      …           Darien Taylor

Martin Sheen                       …           Carl Fox

John C. McGinley              …             Marvin

Terence Stamp                     …           Sir Larry Wildman

James Karen                         …          Harry Lynch

The story of Wall Street has to do with greed, the loss of one’s soul to gain it all, and the will to fight to get one’s soul back. Bud Fox is an up and coming stockbroker who will do anything to get ahead. It is 1985 and he works as a junior stockbroker at Jackson Steinem & Co. in New York City.

Now I will be the first to say I don’t know shit about stocks or the stock market so this review will be more about the characters as I scrape the surface of t how this world works. Bud Fox idolizes a guy named Gordon Gekko who made over 47 million dollars on one stock trade alone.

Bud talks to his dad, Carl Fox the same guy he fucks over with Gekko on insider trading. Pathetic. Bud tells his dad, “I gotta live in Manhattan to be a player. There is no nobility in poverty anymore, Dad.” His dad is an airplane mechanic for Bluestar. After calling and leaving messages for Gekko dozens of times Bud Fox brings in some Cuban cigars for Gekko, something he likes. Bud tries to give him information on different airlines but Gekko isn’t interested. Bud tells him about Bluestar inside information about the company being cleared of a lawsuit which will bring the stock up.

Gekko tells Bud to buy 20,000 shares of Bluestar. Gekko asks if Bud bought Teldar after their meeting Bud says, “No, sir, that wouldn’t have been legal.” Gekko assures him he won’t get into trouble and hands him a check to Jackson, Steinem & Co. for 1 million dollars. Gekko promises him if he does good he gets perks. Lots and lots of perks.

Lisa comes to Bud’s apartment and tells him they are going out. Gordon Gekko sent her. Gekko basically tells him at the gym he wants inside information – insider trading which of course is illegal. Gekko tells Bud later he wants him to spy on Wildman and see what he’s up to. Bud says he could lose his license. Gekko tells him if he’s not inside, he’s outside.

Bud tells Gekko that Wildman is buying Anacott Steel. Gekko starts slowly buying it. Bud tells his coworkers, Marvin and Lou to try to sell Anacott Steel to their clients. He says it’s a sure thing. Lou says, “No such thing, except death and taxes.” He also tells him, “Remember, there are no short cuts, son.” Bud should listen to this advice but he is reckless and ambitious, two things that will lead to his downfall.

Bud meets Darien Taylor and is in love with her at first sight. She is an interior decorator. She tells him to call her. Gekko agrees to sell his stock of Anacott Steel to Wildman for 71.50 a share. Wildman says he can turn the company around.

Bud is given power of attorney to buy stocks for Gekko without his knowledge. He is told about using money from offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands. Bud is quickly learning how to be a business criminal. Bud gets his new corner office and is happy. He buys an apartment at 950,000 dollars.

Bud asks himself, “Who am I?” A good question now his identity is that of a criminal. Gordon Gekko makes a speech about Teldar Paper. He says he is not a destroyer of companies, he’s a liberator of them. Gekko says, “Greed is good.” The thing these people do is buy and sell. They don’t create anything which is what Carl Fox complains about later in the film.

Gordon Gekko wants Bluestar to do a 20% wage cut and 7 more hours a month. Carl rejects the offer and tells Gekko he is all about greed. Carl tells his son Gekko’s using him. Bud tells his dad he’s jealous. Stockwatch starts investigating Bud because he buys large quantities of Teldar from an offshore account. The SEC starts calling Roger Barnes (played by James Spader) which naturally pisses him off.

In a meeting Bud finds out they are going to liquidate Bluestar and build Condos where the hangars are. It’s revealed Gekko will make $60-70 million dollars on the deal. Instead of building up the company and restructuring, Gekko wants to wreck Bluestar. Bud asks Gekko, “How much is enough.?” Gekko promises Bud he will have a golden parachute and his father will never have to work again.

Darien tells Bud if he crosses Gekko she won’t stand by him. She is too addicted to the lifestyle. Bud’s dad, Carl, has a heart attack. Bud tells his dad he loves him. Bud tells Lou to put his clients on Bluestar. Lou tells him, “I don’t know where you get your information, son, but I don’t like it. The main thing about money, Bud…it makes you do things you don’t want to do.” That is one of the smartest things I ever heard. The stocks go down for 23 a share. Gordon is mad he will only make 10 million dollars. Greed is amazing. Bud wants and agrees with Wildman to have him buy Bluestar when it drops to 18 dollars a share. Gekko sells his shares pissed he lost a small fortune. Bud is happy Gekko won’t destroy the company which saves his soul and his father’s company.

The next day everyone is looking at Bud at work. They know something. The SEC and other representatives for other agencies are there in Bud’s office investigating. He is under arrest for conspiracy to commit securities fraud and for violating the Insiders Traders Sanction Act. He is arrested and in tears.

When Bud meets with Gekko, Gekko yells and hits him and reminds Bud of all the insider information he taught Bud to use. Bud was wearing a wire.

Bud thinks he will go to prison, which he probably will. Carl tells him, “Create, instead of living off the buying and selling of others.” Bud goes to the courthouse to await his fate.