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    About This Item

    Unique ID Code: 0000021777
    Added by: DVD Reviewer
    Added on: 22/8/2001 01:31
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    Wall Street (UK)

    7 / 10
    3 votes cast
    Rate this item
    Inline Image

    An Oliver Stone film
    Certificate: 15
    Running Time: 120 mins
    Retail Price: £19.99
    Release Date:

    Synopsis:
    In this riveting behind-the-scenes look at big business in the 1980`s, an ambitious young stockbroker (Charlie Sheen) is lured into the illegal, lucrative world of corporate espionage when he is seduced by the power, status and financial wizardry of Wall Street legend Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas in his Oscar winning performance).

    But he soon discovers that the pursuit of overnight riches comes at a price that`s too hight to pay. Daryl Hannah and Martin Sheen co-star in Oliver Stone`s gripping morality tale about the American dream gone wrong.

    Special Features:
    Interactive Menus
    Scene Access
    Commentary by Director Oliver Stone
    45 minute documentary featuring Oliver Stone, Michael Douglas, Charlie and Martin Sheen
    Two Trailers

    Video Tracks:
    Widescreen Anamorphic 1.85:1

    Audio Tracks:
    Dolby Digital 5.1 English

    Subtitle Tracks:
    Hebrew
    Icelandic
    Polish
    Czech
    Swedish
    Finnish
    CC: English
    Hungarian
    Danish
    Norwegian

    Directed By:
    Oliver Stone

    Written By:


    Starring:
    John C. McGinley
    Chuck Pfeiffer
    Franklin Cover
    Tamara Tunie
    Charlie Sheen

    Casting By:
    Billy Hopkins
    Risa Bramon Garcia

    Soundtrack By:
    Stewart Copeland

    Music From:
    Giuseppe Verdi

    Director of Photography:
    Robert Richardson

    Editor:
    Claire Simpson

    Costume Designer:
    Ellen Mirojnick

    Production Designer:
    Stephen Hendrickson

    Producer:
    Edward R. Pressman
    A. Kitman Ho
    Michael Flynn

    Distributor:
    Twentieth Century Fox

    Your Opinions and Comments

    7 / 10
    This is a well-respected, frequently referenced film and although it`s been around for SUCH a long time, watching this newly released DVD was the first time I`d ever seen it myself.

    I have to say I was a little disappointed though. It does have a tight script and the performances are certainly above average (Charlie Sheen is possibly under-par in a few scenes), but the archaic tone and the shallow story haven`t aged at all well. It`s an okay movie overall, but it doesn`t really belong on the "classic" pile and If you expect too much then it probably won`t deliver.

    The problem for me is that lots of subsequent releases have copied the principal idea and IMO made rather more out of it. These newer films aren`t better written or performed, but because they`re much more current and have the advantage of analysing what DIDN`T work in Stone`s film, they`re infinitely more digestable and credible.

    Wall Street`s story lacks depth and an adequate resolution is never provided. I`d been led to believe that it was a kind of moral tale and thought we`d see a big arc of wealth-aquisition/corruption and eventually a big turn-around and all of the consequences. Without spoiling anything, we don`t see this at all and you have to make do with a hasty (slightly implausible) rise to power and a similarly swift (equally implausible) finale. The true after-effects aren`t part of the film and it felt a bit like "Tune in tomorrow for the conclusion" was missing!. Obviously I`m over-stating things a bit, but someone has to redress the balance a touch. Every review I`ve read skims over the flaws and just panders to the genre-classic cliches we always see. It`s a passable flick of course and I wouldn`t argue against that, but it`s the out-moded ideals and wafer-thin story that really stick out in my mind.

    The disc is pretty good considering the age of the main feature and the 1.85:1 (anam) picture is very clean. The sound is a re-mastered 5.1 affair and isn`t anything like as effective as most modern surround tracks. I appreciate the effort, but Wall Street is a heavily dialogue-based film and the audio isn`t a primary concern. The extras are a lengthy documentary and a commentary from Stone. Again, considering the age of the movie this is more than generous.

    Basically, a surprisingly flat and comparitively uneventful movie. There are some memorable speeches and performances, but the story is uninspiring and the conceptual themes are too familiar and old-fashioned to be interesting today.
    posted by Tony Vado on 5/9/2001 18:29
    7 / 10
    A great film that deals with the corrupt men of 1980`s America. I love this film and everytime I watch it Gordon Gekko makes me want to believe that "Greed is good". Faultless performances from Douglas, Sheen and in particular a great perfromance by Martin Sheen. An insigtful documentary and a good commentary from Stone make this a great purchase. Its one of my favourites and I urge you to buy this film too.
    posted by spiller on 5/2/2002 11:54