SUMMARY  
Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen), a young Wall Street Broker, is eager to rise the top – he’s persistent as hell and will do whatever it takes to be successful. After months of trying, he finally gets a meeting with top investor and corporate raider Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglass). Following some quick ups and downs, Gekko offers to take Fox under his wing if he helps him with insider trading; Fox agrees and quickly begins to make bank and finally feel successful. It all comes crashing down, however, when Fox realizes that Gekko’s used him to make a deal that would put his father’s (Martin Sheen) livelihood at risk. Faced with this dilemma, he devises a plan to upend the deal and get some revenge while at it. Unfortunately, by the end of the movie, Fox and Gekko both get caught. The movie stops short of showing  any of the actual trial  or legal processes, but it’s safe to assume that they both end up in jail.

THE BIZ SPIN
Not only is this relevant to business, but it might have even been influential in Wall Street culture. The whole movie is about making money and what people will do to make a buck. For most of the movie, Fox’s goal is to be “successful,” which he measures only by the amount of cash he makes. 

HOW YOU MIGHT RECOGNIZE THIS MOVIE
Michael Douglass wearing suspenders is this movie’s look. Also, any scenes with Michael Douglass and Charlie Sheen together are probably from this movie. 

NOTABLE CAST
Charlie Sheen, Michael Douglass, Daryl Hannah, Martin Sheen, and a handful of others you’d recognize

WHY I LIKE IT FOR BUSINESS
The business relevance is pretty obvious, but I think there are some key lessons and themes you can take from the movie.  First, as a junior broker, Fox works his ass off and it does pay off in its own way – it’s a good lesson in persistence and having to work your way up. But, it’s also a good lesson in what success is – Fox thinks it’s all about money, but by the end he realizes that his other values might actually take precedence. And then there’s greed… the whole plot is driven by greed, and the destination isn’t exactly a happy ending.

Quote Index:

“Greed, for lack of a better word, is good.”

“Lunch is for wimps.”

“If you’re not inside, you’re outside.”