4 out of 5

Director: Oliver Stone

Interesting. I was motivated to finally watch this knowing that the new one was coming out, and I found a movie miraculously undated and surprisingly straight-forward for an Oliver Stone film. Wallstreets infamous greed is good mentality was an obvious response to the 80s, and its fascinating the social context in which Stone decided to make a sequel. The plot is believably involving, with small-town Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) trying to break it big as a stockbroker, similar to his idol, money hungry Gordon Gecko (Michael Douglas). There are other reviews on here which dissect the messages better than I can, but what worked in this film is how it carries you along. It doesnt alienate you as outside of this rich lifestyle, nor does it make you feel like you cannot connect with any of the players. Michael Douglas even gets a few scenes outside the direct narrative of the film that let us see how his brain works, keeping him from appearing as just a one-dimensional figure. This is an excellent drama about over-indulgence without any over-indulgent mistakes in writing, directing, or acting. Besides the hairstyles and technology, all of the emotions still hit home today. Deserving of its spot as a classic.