Reviewed by Johnny McNair 

Twentieth Century Fox – 126 minutes – 1987 – Rated R – 1080p Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 – DTS HD 5.1

“Greed is Good,” three words that define the Reagan era and reminds us of one of the best movie characters of the 80’s, Gordon Gekko in Wall Street. Director Oliver Stone’s look at the United States financial industry, though two decades old, still holds up because within it is a tale of dark temptation and the pitfalls it will lead you down. Michael Douglas stars as Gordon Gekko, a ruthless high-powered Wall Street broker who is approached by an eager young stockbroker named Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen), who idolizes him. Knowing that this kid is naïve but hungry for fame and fortune, he uses him in a devil’s apprentice fashion to bring down and ruin his enemies. But Fox doesn’t realize how much damage he’s done until he discovers that Gekko also plans to ruin the airline company that his father (Martin Sheen), works for and must find a way to stop him even if he has to take the fall himself.

Wall Street came out in 1987 and emulates the world of the financial cowboys who made tons of money by day and partied hard all night with access to everything the world had to offer. Oliver Stone, who also wrote Scarface, in many ways uses the same molding to demonstrate how the line between notorious drug dealers and Wall Streets brokers is pretty thin, because in many ways they are using the same tactics to make money and bring down their enemies. Except one uses a gun and the other uses deception to get the job done, but the outcome is the same.

The excellent supporting cast featuring Hal Holbrook, Terence Stamp, John C. McGinley, Daryl Hannah, Sean Young, and James Spader shine because Stone is a master with dealing with an ensemble of different types of actors and making them fit. Fans of the movie have all heard the stories about the chaos on the set of the film, especially Stone’s dislike of Hannah, and how he basically told Michael Douglas his acting was terrible, making him re-think how he was going to portray Gekko, a role that would lead him to winning the Oscar.

There’s no doubt that Douglas’ performance is the showstopper, simply because he represents so many people of that era in a force that is resurfacing today in both politics and business. Gordo Gekko is not a villain as much as he is the symbol of the American powerhouse businessmen who run the show. Even to this day business schools are filled with potential Gordon Gekkos who were all inspired by Douglas’ portrayal; and if they were placed in Bud Fox’s shoes with the potential for making millions of dollars overnight, how many of them would slide down the same path?

Sure by today’s standards the fashion, hairstyles, and old school IMB computers featured in the film are laughable, but hey, that was the 80’s. Once you get past all that, anybody who has never seen Wall Street will understand why it still holds up, and is bound to be considered a classic when the history books are written. And being a New Yorker myself, it was just great to see the World Trade Center standing tall throughout various scenes of the movie, demonstrating how it was the heart of the city.

VIDEO

Even though the back of the Blu-ray case says that it’s presented in 2.35:1, this is a mistake, because the film is actually only presented in an 1.85:1 aspect ratio, so let the buyer beware. Though this is in no way hi-def show off material, this is the best looking version of Wall Street looks you’re going to see, but it’s only a small step up from the standard 20^th Anniversary edition DVD that was released last year. It’s a mixed bag because certain scenes look very sharp such as the office scenes, but dark scenes are popping with grain. Oliver Stone’s films usually are not shot in a glossy style, settling for a more classic feel reminiscent of old Hollywood dramas, so the video quality of this Blu-ray may be a let down for some.

SOUND

The Blu-ray version of Wall Street features a DTS HD 5.1 audio mix, which sounds great. During office scenes or on the trading floor, when there is constant chaotic chatter, the blend works nicely allowing an even tone to be pumped out of your speakers. This is a film where dialogue is key, so those of you who love hearing Gekko’s “Greed is good” speech will love the way it sounds here.

EXTRAS

There’s an introduction by Oliver Stone who welcomes viewers to the anniversary edition of the disc, and goes on to mention how the film has never looked better. This was done for the standard DVD, so imagine what he might have said if it was an intro for the hi-def version.

Lifted from the DVD is an audio commentary by director Oliver Stone, which for those who have never heard it will discover some very interesting things about the production. For one, Tom Cruise who was actually a bigger star at the time than Charlie Sheen originally wanted to play the part of Bud Fox, but Stone already made a commitment to Sheen and stuck with him. He later goes on to talk about how he at times felt like Sheen was not giving him the performance he wanted because he was still swimming in the success of Platoon, and went out partying all night and not giving 100% when the cameras rolled. As always Stone pulls no punches, so anyone who appreciates an audio commentary that is not your usual candy-coated fluff, will appreciate his honest perspective.

DELETED

There are 20 minutes of deleted scenes with audio commentary by Stone explaining why he had to pull them out, such as New York street scene that was very expensive to shoot, but he removed it because it looked like a mock up of NY rather than the real thing. One of the more interesting omitted scenes features Penn Jillette, of the political comedy team Penn and Teller, who looks about 40 pounds lighter than he is today.

Greed is Good is a new hour long documentary features Oliver Stone and several cast members such as Douglas and Sheen who take a look back at the production of Wall Street and what the experience means to them today. If you love this film, this is one of the best features of the disc, and will no doubt make you satisfied.

Carried over from the pre-anniversary DVD is Money Never Sleeps: The Making of Wall Street, a 45 minute behind the scenes making of that shows the cast and filmmakers in all their 80’s glory. In a nostalgic manner this works because you can see how the filmmakers and actors looked in the 80’s and then watch the Greed is Good documentary to see how they look today, to see how all that wild partying has really caught up with Charlie Sheen.

BOTTOM LINE

Wall Street is good film no matter which format you see it in, so if you already own the recently released 20^th anniversary DVD, you may want to hold out for the Blu-ray version. But for those of you who don’t have that version, or are seeing Wall Street for the first time, give this disc a try.

SCORES (Out of 5):

The Movie: 4.5

Video: 3.5 (Gotta take away points for mislabeled aspect ratio)

Sound: 4.0

Extras: 4.5

Bottom Line: 4.0