Wall Street (1987)
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
A second hand broker (Charlie Sheen) dreams of becoming the next Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas), a major player on Wall Street, and eventually gets his shot to impress the big wig. Soon the kid learns that Wall Street is full of lies, cheating and greed and Gekko is willing to take him under his wing but soon he realizes that at some point enough is enough. It's been a while since I watched this film but I was really shocked to see how well it holds up today even though I'm sure many people would attack director Stone for making the Wall Street guys too much of a villain and perhaps adding too much of his conspiracy theories to trading. I don't think there's any doubt that Stone is using this film as a "warning" to those who give their last dollars to these major companies only to have bloodsuckers like Gekko come down and become richer while the poor become poorer. Some would argue this is overdamatics on the part of Stone but I'm sure there would be many who would say he was shining the light on evil greed. Either way this film holds up remarkably well thanks in large part to the terrific performances but also because the characters are so wonderfully written that even if you know nothing about trading it's likely you're going to know both Gekko and the kid. I think what's so remarkable about the film is that it really does play out like a Hitchcock thriller because you just know the kid is eventually going to get in over his head and while watching the thing you can't help but feel you're walking on eggshells as he becomes richer and richer yet he's too stupid to see the price he's going to end up paying. Tom Cruise appears to have become a respectable actor out of this period but I think Sheen gets overlooked as he certainly had a strong resume at this point of his career. He certainly brings that hot shot attitude to the role but he also has a vulnerability that works extremely well especially towards the end when he starts to see what he has done. Douglas, in an Oscar-winning performance, is downright masterful as the snake Gekko and you can't help but on one hand hate this guy but at the same time you can't help but want to be him with the power and attitude. Martin Sheen often gets overlooked in the film but a lot of the connection one has with the movie comes from him. John C. McGinley, Hal Holbrook, James Karen, Terence Stamp, Sean Young, James Spader, Saul Rubinek and Daryl Hannah add to their characters and deliver the goods as well. I think Stone's direction is a major point to the film's success as he perfectly handles the bigger picture of the greed of Wall Street but also the smaller relationships in the film. Again, the film works perfectly as a thriller but there's also a lot of heart and soul in the film thanks to the relationship between the father and son.
