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Wall Street (1987)

tomatometer

25

Average Rating: 4.2/10
Critic Reviews: 8
Fresh: 2 | Rotten: 6

No consensus yet.

audience

78

liked it
Average Rating: 3.5/5
User Ratings: 48,495

My Rating

Movie Info

"Greed is Good." This is the credo of the aptly named Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas), the antihero of Oliver Stone's Wall Street. Gekko, a high-rolling corporate raider, is idolized by young-and-hungry broker Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen). Inveigling himself into Gekko's inner circle, Fox quickly learns to rape, murder and bury his sense of ethics. Only when Gekko's wheeling and dealing causes a near-tragedy on a personal level does Fox "reform"-though his means of destroying Gekko are every bit as

R,

Drama

Stanley Weiser, Oliver Stone

Nov 7, 2000

20th Century Fox

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Cast

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All Critics (49) | Top Critics (8) | Fresh (44) | Rotten (12) | DVD (32)

The sensibility of this movie is so adolescent that it's hard to take it as seriously as the filmmakers intend us to.

September 18, 2007 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader
Chicago Reader
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Watching Oliver Stone's Wall Street is about as wordy and dreary as reading the financial papers accounts of the rise and fall of an Ivan Boesky-type arbitrageur.

September 18, 2007 Full Review Source: Variety | Comment (1)
Variety
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Dramatically inept, the film also muddles its naïve moralising.

January 26, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out
Time Out
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Wall Street isn't a movie to make one think. It simply confirms what we all know we should think, while giving us a tantalizing, Sidney Sheldon-like peek into the boardrooms and bedrooms of the rich and powerful.

May 20, 2003 | Comment (1)
New York Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

With its posturing politics and cardboard characterizations, Wall Street is not up to [Oliver Stone's] past standards.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Washington Post
Washington Post
Top Critic IconTop Critic

In Wall Street...you will see the evil, capitalistic impulses of man. Towards the end, you will see the self-righteous impulses of liberal finger-waggers. It's hard to tell which is worse.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Washington Post
Washington Post
Top Critic IconTop Critic

...an eye-opening behind-the-scenes glimpse at an almost alien landscape.

November 8, 2010 Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews
Reel Film Reviews

For a motion picture that, at the time of shooting, was intended to be relatively hip and cutting-edge, it is now so laughably outdated it almost feels like science-fiction.

September 23, 2010 Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | Comment (1)
DustinPutman.com

Like the rest of Stone's oeuvre, it's about as subtle as a sledgehammer. But his filmmaking style is like heavy metal: When he hits the right chords, nobody plays with as much power or brash energy.

September 20, 2010 Full Review Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Unfortunately, Wall Street remains a fascinating specimen of modern-day American power lust, a tragic moral lesson our financial players have yet to learn.

September 19, 2010 Full Review Source: Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine

Some of the 1980s-era details may seem a bit dated, and the movie's attitude toward women is slightly despicable, but the overall story arc, echoing the "Faust" tale, is timeless.

April 16, 2010 Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid
Combustible Celluloid

...blustery and unsophisticated, like many of the movies of Oliver Stone.

October 23, 2008 Full Review Source: LarsenOnFilm | Comments (3)
LarsenOnFilm

All the performances are excellent with the emotional highlights including the father/son emotional angst between Sheen and his real life father Martin Sheen.

March 28, 2008 Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile
Urban Cinefile

It's solid, but no showcase for HD.

January 27, 2008 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis
Movie Metropolis

a compelling drama that is exceedingly well acted (with the obvious exception of the wretched Daryl Hannah)

October 2, 2007 Full Review Source: 7M Pictures
7M Pictures

A big, glossy movie that satirises the whole yuppie ethos more than anything else.

September 18, 2007 Full Review Source: Film4
Film4

Writer-director Oliver Stone, who shows an uncanny knack for anticipating public interest in the subjects he chooses, explores the much-publicized inside trading scandals of the mid-1980s.

September 18, 2007 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide
TV Guide's Movie Guide

There's a director's introduction, deleted scenes, and two featurettes: one on the making of the film and the other on the motto: 'Greed is good."

September 18, 2007 Full Review Source: Apollo Guide
Apollo Guide

Greed may be good, but this anniversary edition of Oliver Stone's humorless '80s satire is exceedingly generous with extras.

September 15, 2007 Full Review Source: Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine

Stone's attack on the excesses of the Me Decade could easily be dubbed Mr. Smith Goes to Wall Street.

September 15, 2007 Full Review Source: Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine

Wall Street is for all the ladder-climbers out there, and all the people under them who feel like rungs.

September 13, 2007 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis
Movie Metropolis

Audience Reviews for Wall Street

It's Michael Douglas's portrayal of Gekko-aptly dubbed "Gekko the Great" by the antihero himself-that makes the film so much more intriguing. His pitch-perfect performance is sometimes serious, others laid-back. The decision of which of these two conversational routes to take is crucial in his challenging role, whereas it wouldn't very much matter in most other cinematic roles. His shifting between solemnity and relaxation is so gradual and subtle, so as not to make his character seem even slightly awkward. Above all, Douglas's famous "Greed is Good" speech is delivered with such profound gravity, it's bound to leave a viewer speechless. It's interesting how many times "greed" is employed in such a short amount of time, yet the speech doesn't come close to devolving into a pleonasm. Douglas earned a righteous Best Actor Oscar for his performance, and it pervades his performance. Charlie Sheen, on the other hand, is a bit of a disappointment in his performance as Fox. Of course, the problem here isn't drugs, tiger blood, and self-proclaimed "winning"; come December, the film will be celebrating its 25th anniversary, giving it a release far before this man fell apart. It's his acting here that falls apart-in fact, Charlie slightly overacts. Near the end of the film, there are a handful of scenes featuring Bud Fox and his father Carl arguing. Carl Fox is portrayed by Martin Sheen, who happens to be Charlie's real-life father. Knowing this personal relationship shared between the two of them, it's actually surprising how lacking in authenticity their quarrels are.

WALL STREET is a likeable, well-made drama, engaging from the very start. Admittedly, it isn't perfect, nor does it feel like a vile cheat. Even after over two hours of familiarizing ourselves with the characters, immersing ourselves in their idiosyncrasies and peccant personalities, the ending is still a bit of a surprise-and it sums up the film more concisely than almost any other conclusion I've ever seen. Revealing that one, strong moral would instantaneously disclose countless spoilers, so under downright obligation, I will refrain from saying anything more. Besides, what more can I say? WALL STREET, for lack of a better word, is good.

read the full review at themoviefreakblog.com
September 19, 2011
spielberg00

Super Reviewer

An excellent film about greed and the want to score each time more in the stock market game of power. Michael Douglas puts in a magnificent performance as the voracious, unforgettable shark Gordon Gekko, in a fascinating story that is greatly directed and relies on elegant dialogue.
August 28, 2011
blacksheepboy

Super Reviewer

    1. Gordon Gekko: Greed, for lack of a better word, is good.
    – Submitted by Dutch E (2 months ago)
    1. Bud Fox: That is horseshit! You step out that door and I am changing the locks!
    – Submitted by Melanie D (3 months ago)
    1. Gordon Gekko: Greed Is good.
    – Submitted by Alex K (8 months ago)
    1. Gordon Gekko: The most valuable commodity I know of is information.
    – Submitted by Nusfish K (15 months ago)
    1. Gordon Gekko: Money never sleeps, pal.
    – Submitted by Felipe S (18 months ago)
    1. Lou Mannheim: The main thing about money, Bud, is that it makes you do things you don't want to do.
    – Submitted by Tom V (23 months ago)

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