[7]
Charlie Sheen (Platoon, The Boys Next Door) stars as Bud Fox, a young Wall Street stockbroker who enters into a world of riches and corruption when he becomes the protégé of Gordon Gekko, an unscrupulous corporate raider played by Michael Douglas. Trading illegal, inside information at Gekko’s behest, Bud amasses a fortune and a high-maintenance girlfriend (Daryl Hannah). But when Gekko purchases his father’s (Martin Sheen) airline and plans to sell it off in parts, Bud grows a conscience and starts a war with his mentor that could mean prison for both of them.
Wall Street is surprisingly formulaic compared to director Oliver Stone’s other films, marred by some pointed, clunky dialogue and stereotypical characters with predictable character arcs. Hannah suffers the most with an undercooked, poorly-written role. But Wall Street somehow overcomes its shortcomings with good pacing and a juicy, malevolent turn from Michael Douglas. Sheen holds his own in this film, but it’s Douglas who would take home an Oscar as the heartless and manipulative Gordon Gekko. Martin Sheen (Charlie’s father in real life) gives the film’s second-best performance as Gekko’s inverse — a man of deep, unwavering morality. (This tale of a young man caught between two father figures was also explored in Stone’s Platoon.)
Wall Street benefits from having great actors in a bounty of small roles. Look for Hal Holbrook, James Karen (Poltergeist), Franklin Cover (The Jeffersons), and John C. McGinley (Platoon) at Bud’s brokerage company. Terence Stamp is memorable as a rival tycoon who spars with Gekko, and James Spader appears as one of Bud’s old college friends.
With Saul Rubinek, Richard Dysart, and Sean Young in possibly her worst — thankfully brief — screen performance. She’s so bad, one wonders if there’s a story behind it.
Academy Award: Best Actor (Michael Douglas)