Story Synopsis

Michael Douglas won an Oscar for perfectly embodying the Reagan-era credo that "greed is good." As a Donald Trump-like Wall Street raider aptly named Gordon Gecko (for his reptilian ability to attack corporate targets and swallow them whole), Douglas found a role tailor-made to his skill in portraying heartless men who've sacrificed humanity to power. He's a slick, seductive role model for the young ambitious Wall Street broker played by Charlie Sheen, who falls into Gecko's sphere of influence and instantly succumbs to the allure of risky deals and generous payoffs. With such perks as a high-rise apartment and women who love men for their money, Charlie's like a worm on Gecko's hook, blind to the corporate maneuvering that puts him at odds with his own father (played by Sheen's offscreen father, Martin). With his usual lack of subtlety, writer-director Oliver Stone drew from the brokering experience of his own father to tell this Faustian tale for the "me" decade, but the movie's sledgehammer style is undeniably effective. A cautionary warning that Stone delivers on highly entertaining terms, Wall Street grabs your attention while questioning the corrupted values of a system that worships profit at the cost of one's soul. --Jeff Shannon --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

 

Main Characters

Bud Fox - Portrayed by Charlie Sheen, Bud is the quintessential New York stockbroker.  He spends the earlier part of the movie trying to work his way into Gordon Gekko's inner circle.  After he succeeds in doing so, Fox desperately searches for redemption after numerous shady dealings.

Carl Fox - As Bud's father, Martin Sheen constantly finds himself trying to remind Bud about the consequences of fast money.  Carl has spent his life as a machinist and Union leader with Bluestar Airlines.

Gordon Gekko - Portrayed by Michael Douglas, Gordon Gekko represents everything capitalism and Wall Street success are all about.  His aggressive and ruthless style has made him one of the most powerful players on Wall Street.

Darien Taylor - Portrayed by Darryl Hannah, Darien spends much of the movie as Bud's girlfriend.  She finds herself drawn between two ultimately opposing forces in Bud Fox and Gordon Gekko, eventually forcing her to leave Bud.

Lou Manhiem

Terrance Stamp

Bud Fox 
Bud is a stockbroker for a small brokerage office. His job is to main the phones and try to solicit new clients. He dreams of being the one placing the stock trades rather than just the one processing them in a most menial fashion. Bud idolizes a wealthy entrepreneur who made his money in stocks named Gordon Gekko. Bud is so determined to meet Gordon that he calls his office 40 days in a row before he is finally allowed to meet with Gordon briefly. Bud goes the extra mile to impress Gordon. Slowly but surely Bud is sucked into using illegal methods to obtain inside information about companies so that Gordon can know beforehand about the major news that pushes individual stocks up and down. Bud becomes Gordon's right hand man and handles all of Gekko's portfolio at one point. Gekko uses Bud to try to gain control of Blue Star Airlines a company Bud's father has worked at for years. After Bud sells the airline's workers on a buyout, Bud finds out about Gekko's plans to sell off the entire company piece by piece and lay off everyone. Bud fights back and after an active day of stock trading, Gekko loses lots of money on his planned Blue Star takeover. 
 

 Carl Fox 
Carl Fox is a man that has spent his whole life working for a single company, Blur Star airlines. When his son, Bud spots an opportunity to make money with Blue Star Airlines, Carl gets into a fight with his son for the trust of the people at Bluestar. Carl is used as a dupe to try to convince workers to work for less pay to allow Bluestar to be profitable after a takeover organized by Gordon Gekko. Gekko desires to sell the whole company off piece by piece but he needed Carl to get support from the employees and Board of Directors to enable his planned takever.
 

  
 Gordon Gekko
Gordon is the premiere capitalist. To him its not about how much money one has as its a "zero sum game." Somebody wins and somebody loses, nothing more and nothing less. Gekko proudly boosts that he makes nothing instead he owns. During a speech to shareholders of Blue Star Airlines, Gekko proclaims that greed is good, greed for life, for love, and even for power. Greed to Gekko "has marked the upward surge of mankind." Greed drives things forward in nature and in man. Gekko uses inside information to gain the upper hand in his stock investments. He signs over control of his portofolio to Bud Fox at one point so he could be fully insulated from any potental legal downfall down the road. 
 

 Bud Fox's Rich Client
After Bud Fox realizes he has been doublecrossed by Gekko in the Blue Star deal that will leave thousands without jobs this investor is brought in. Bud convinces this wealthy investor to buy up the stock and launch a bidding war of sorts for Blue Stars shares. Then along with contacts obtained from Bud's years as a stockbroker the shares of Blue Star soar. When they reach a peak Bud has everyone sell including this investor and Gordon Gekko panics as he watches his shares of Blue Star drop like a rock. He sellls quickly and takes a big loss.
 

 Carolyn 
Carolyn is a friend of Gordon Gekko that enjoys interior decorating as a hobby. She is introduced to Bud Fox by Gekko and they hit it off at first. But when Bud decides he will try to make it without Gekko, she leaves him as she fears a life without the money and contacts that Gekko has introduced her to.
 

 

 

Best Quotes

"Shark Still Looks Fake",
Marty McFly as He is Almost Eaten by a 3-D Animated Jaws.