--- title: "Wall Street: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/wall-street/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/wall-street" critics_score: 67 critics_reviews: 9 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Wall Street (1987): what the critics said Critics' score 67 from 9 reviews: 6 positive, 1 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics find Wall Street an absorbing, if unsubtle, morality tale, with praise concentrated on Michael Douglas’s Gordon Gekko. His charm, ruthlessness and persuasive delivery make the corporate raider compelling even in reviews that dislike the film around him. The energetic camerawork and immersion in financial language also earn approval, helping Oliver Stone capture the appeal of the wealth and excess he sets out to condemn. The reviews divide over how effectively that condemnation works, with a wide spread between enthusiasm and outright dissatisfaction. RogerEbert.com sees a radical critique of a value system built around the deal; Time Out finds muddled moralising and a film seduced by the luxury it attacks. Reservations elsewhere cluster around blunt lessons, simplistic character development and melodrama. Even several favourable reviews suggest that Gekko makes greed more attractive than the case against it, leaving Douglas’s performance as the clearest point of agreement. ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 3.5/4. 11 December 1987. The film offers a radical critique of the capitalist trading mentality and the value system that places the deal above all else. Michael Douglas delivers a chilling, convincing performance as the ruthless corporate raider Gordon Gekko. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/wall-street-1987) ## Radio Times — John Marriott Rating 4/5. Stylish morality tale with strong performances, especially Michael Douglas as Gekko; neurotic camera movements fit the theme. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-oy9t1i/wall-street/) ## Slant Magazine — Fernando F. Croce Rating 3/4. 15 September 2007. The review acknowledges ambivalence in Stone's attack on 1980s excess, noting Gekko emerges as a complex, charismatic villain whose appeal undercuts the moralizing. It singles out the dynamic camerawork and supporting performances for praise while criticizing the blunt, melodramatic narrative and lack of complexity in the protagonist. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/wall-street/) ## The AV Club — Scott Tobias Rating B-. 10 October 2007. The review calls Wall Street one of Stone's more tolerable efforts for capturing the period's material excesses, though it faults the heavy-handed morality tale and simplistic character arcs. It singles out the intoxicating fiscal-speak and Douglas's compelling 'greed is good' speech as making sin more attractive than the sermon against it. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/wall-street-1798203159) ## The New York Times — Vincent Canby Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 11 December 1987. Stone's Wall Street is an upscale morality tale about ambition and greed that entertains achievers while touching on moral centers. The standout is Michael Douglas's witty, charming portrayal of the ruthless corporate raider Gordon Gekko. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/11/movies/film-stone-s-wall-street.html) ## Los Angeles Times — Sheila Benson Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 11 December 1987. The film is a slick, fast-paced entertainment with razzle-dazzle but becomes preachy and thin, bottoming out as simplistic moralizing. Michael Douglas's ferocious performance as Gekko is a highlight amid the moral bankruptcy. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-12-11-ca-18632-story.html) ## Time Out — GA Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 18 January 2012. The critic finds the film dramatically inept with muddled moralising, seduced by the luxurious lives it condemns, though it has corny melodrama elements. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/wall-street) ## Empire — Angie Errigo 1 January 2000. The critic praises Oliver Stone's energetic indictment of 1980s yuppie greed and corporate raiding, noting how Michael Douglas's charismatic performance as Gordon Gekko turned the villain into an unlikely icon. The film's absorbing portrayal of a young broker's moral descent is highlighted as compelling despite its unsubtle caricatures. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/wall-street-review/) ## The Hollywood Reporter 7 December 1987. The review finds the film a riveting insider's look at the investment world that should perform well at the box office, but criticizes it as over-inflated with verbal essays and undermined by a clunky late plot. It singles out Michael Douglas's terrifying performance as the amoral corporate raider for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/wall-street-film-review-28268/) ## Eye for Film — Stephen Carty Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 8 February 2010. The critic calls it a compelling morality tale that skewers 1980s yuppie materialism while delivering an insider's view of Wall Street. Michael Douglas's seductive, scene-stealing turn as Gordon Gekko is singled out as the film's highlight. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/wall-street-film-review-by-stephen-carty) ## Den of Geek — Simon Brew Rating 3/5. 28 April 2008. The film is a perfect embodiment of the 1980s and remains salient today, with plenty to enjoy despite some dated elements. Michael Douglas’s Oscar-winning performance as Gordon Gekko dominates, though the story’s redemption arc is a key weakness. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/wall-street-blu-ray-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/wall-street.md