Wall Street [Special Edition] [1988] [DVD]

Amazon.co.uk Review In Wall Street Michael Douglas perfectly embodies the Reagan-era credo that "greed is good" and won an Oscar for his efforts. 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 manoeuvring that puts him at odds with his own father (played by Sheen's off-screen 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 film'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, Amazon.com Product Description Director Oliver Stone's drama exposing the lives of the inside traders of Wall Street during the 1980s. Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) is a young broker who aspires to higher things. He tips off his idol, the ruthless Gordon Gekko (an Oscar-winning Michael Douglas), about an airline deal, which his father had informed him of in strict confidence. With Gekko's help Bud achieves the promotion he so desperately wanted, but has he sold his soul in the process?