The movie starts with a young stockbroker, Bud Fox working at a second-tier firm on Wallstreet, working hard to make it big in life. He wishes to be like his idol, Gordon Gekko, a corporate raider and a legend on Wall Street. After calling his office for 59 days, on the 60th day, he goes to meet Gekko with a box of cigars. While trying to impress his role model, he gives insider information about Bluestar Airplanes. Gekko earns millions by using this information to his advantage and gives Bud a chance to work with him. He asks Bud to get more insider information that can help him earn more. In exchange, Bud gets a lot of perks, one of them being the interior decorator, Darien.
This goes on a while but Gekko’s greed crosses a line that makes Bud realise that this needs to stop. Bud offers a deal that will make Gekko millions but his greed blinds his vision. Gekko goes behind Bud’s back and plans to break the company into parts and sell for massive profits. Bud gets to know about this betrayal and sees Gekko for who he actually is, a greedy man whose wants have no end. Bud comes up with a solution to save the deal but Darien does not support his decision and warns him not to cross Gekko. Bud does not pay any heed to her warnings and goes ahead with his plan. In the end, Bud is able to save the company but is arrested by SEC for violating Insider Trading Act.
He probably ends up in jail but he makes sure that Gekko joins him there too. Even though Bud lost his way because of his greed and ambition to be great, the circumstances did make him realise that he needs to stop.
The plot of the movie might be very cliche in many ways but Oliver Stone’s direction of the movie makes it worth your time. The way the story unfolds, the movie keeps you glued to your screens till you finally finish it. When you look closely, you will notice that Oliver Stone has focussed the attention on the characters and their emotional turmoil and not the beautiful interiors of Bud’s house or Gekko’s office. When you analyse, you will notice that Gekko has everything, from a beautiful family to a good-paying job. Still, he is chasing money and doing everything possible to earn more and more. It is rightly said that no amount of money can fill the void in a person’s life and it is then people chase foolish ventures to feel alive.
Well, most of us would have known Charlie Sheen from Two and a Half men, one of the most hilarious American sitcoms ever. Nobody could ever doubt his acting skills after seeing the role of Charles Harper, a successful composer and jingle writer. The character of Bud Fox is enacted by Charlie Sheen. Like always he has done justice to the character. He beautifully shows the desire to become like his role model to becoming a hotshot broker earning millions but then realising that things are not going right. When this realisation dawns on him, he tries everything in his power to do what’s right. The character development is evident and it makes the audience feel every emotion that the protagonist is feeling.
The character of Gordon Gekko is the ultimate symbol of greedy capitalists who buy and sell stocks and earn millions. He has no sympathy for the people who lose their job in the process. Gordon Gekko, played by Michael Douglas, has really left us all speechless with his phenomenal performance.
Darien played by the beautiful Daryl Hannah just makes the movie even more interesting. Her convincing performance leaves you in awe. Her character seems very selfish to leave Bud during tough times but at the same time makes you feel for her because nobody likes to start from zero all over again.
In my humble opinion, this movie is a must-watch. It teaches us many lessons like:
a) Greed is the end of a man
b) Know when to stop
c) One right can’t make a hundred wrongs go away
d) There is no shortcut to success
e) Money is not the right unit for measuring success
This movie has done a great job of portraying the selfishness of the overly ambitious of the Wallstreet.
In the end, if I had to rate the movie, I would give it a 3.5 out of 5. I would recommend everyone to watch it once, especially people who wish to work in finance. This movie gives you the closest and the most realistic portrayal of the competitive and betraying truth of Wall Street.
Written by- Debanshi Shailja
Edited by- Nanditha Menon