Wall Street (1987)

A young and impatient stockbroker is willing to do anything to get to the top, including trading on illegal inside information taken through a ruthless and greedy corporate raider who takes the youth under his wing.

Director:

Oliver Stone

Writers:

Stanley Weiser, Oliver Stone

Stars:

Charlie Sheen, Michael Douglas, Tamara Tunie

Won 1 Oscar. Another 9 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charlie Sheen	...	Bud Fox
Tamara Tunie	...	Carolyn
Franklin Cover	...	Dan
Chuck Pfeiffer	...	Chuckie (as Chuck Pfeifer)
John C. McGinley	...	Marvin
Hal Holbrook	...	Lou Mannheim
James Karen	...	Lynch
Leslie Lyles	...	Natalie
Michael Douglas	...	Gordon Gekko
Faith Geer	...	Natalie's Assistant
Frank Adonis	...	Charlie
John Capodice	...	Dominick
Martin Sheen	...	Carl Fox
Suzen Murakoshi	...	Girl in Bed
Dani Klein	...	Receptionist

Storyline

On the Wall Street of the 1980s, Bud Fox is a stockbroker full of ambition, doing whatever he can to make his way to the top. Admiring the power of the unsparing corporate raider Gordon Gekko, Fox entices Gekko into mentoring him by providing insider trading. As Fox becomes embroiled in greed and underhanded schemes, his decisions eventually threaten the livelihood of his scrupulous father. Faced with this dilemma, Fox questions his loyalties.

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Plot Keywords:

capitalism | 1980s | fired from the job | f word | critique of capitalism | 

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Taglines:

Every dream has a price.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 December 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Wall Street

Filming Locations:

The St. James's tower, 415 East 54th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,104,611, 13 December 1987, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$43,848,100

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, American Entertainment Partners L.P., Amercent Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film cast includes two Oscar winners: Michael Douglas and Oliver Stone; and three Oscar nominees: Hal Holbrook, Terence Stamp, Sylvia Miles.

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Goofs

Only two .45 Lugers were made, not six as Gekko claims.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Businesswoman #1: [a crowd of businessmen stampede into an elevator] Excuse me.
Businessman #1: Easy!
Businesswoman #2: Excuse me!
Businessman #2: Thank you.
Businesswomen #3: Sorry!
Businessman #3: Easy!
Businessman #4: Easy!

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Connections

Referenced in One Hit Wonderland: "Ridin" by Chamillionaire (2016)

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Soundtracks

Happy Birthday to You
Written by Patty S. Hill and Mildred J. Hill
Published by Birch Tree Group, Ltd.

User Reviews

Great Movie, from one on the "street."

I read a critic complaining about "too much techno babble" but any professional in the game loves it.

Naturally, the "greed is good" speech stands out above many great "Gekko" quotes. My favorite has to do with the "illusion of wealth."

The other great quote that comes to mind is when Martin Sheen tells his son to "go out and produce something instead of making money on people's buying and selling."

Of course, you then have the "abyss" speech "when you look into the abyss and nothing is staring back..." was great too.

"Congratulations buddy boy you just made things twice as tough as before," really hits home regarding the pressure to make quota.

"It's a dog with fleas." will live forever.

"Blue horseshoe loves it," is another quote that stands out.

The screenplay was written outstandingly well. I could tell how much money Bud Fox was making as he moves along.

And another stand out quote that art imitates life was the manager saying, "I always knew he was no good." The Street is full of two faced, backstabbing b*****ds that could give a rat's ass about integrity. Integrity to most of the street is being on the winning trade.

I loved Bud Fox's buddy boy with the Yankee helmet. I loved it when Bud balled him out to invoke the response, what an asshole.

I loved Bud's office complete with a window and plant. I loved the beginning of the movie with the computer agenda.

"The stock is 17 5/8ths and dropping. As your broker I advise you to take it."

Great movie. Love to see a sequel.