Wall Street (1987)

Oliver Stone’s drama film, Wall Street (1987), tells the story of Bud Fox, a junior stockbroker at Jackson Steinem & Co. in New York City. Bud idolizes Gordon Gekko, an influential Wall Street player. Despite calling Gekko’s office 59 days straight in hopes of securing an appointment, Bud finally takes matters into his own hands and shows up at Gekko’s office on his birthday with a box of Cuban cigars – Gekko’s favorite forbidden indulgence. Impressed by Bud’s boldness, Gekko agrees to meet with him and listen to his stock pitches. However, none of them impress Gekko until Bud shares some insider information about Bluestar Airlines that he overheard from his father Carl, the union leader for the company’s maintenance workers. Intrigued by Bud’s resourcefulness, Gekko promises to consider the opportunity further.

Upon returning to his office, Bud’s spirits are low. However, Gekko soon becomes one of his clients by placing an order for Bluestar stock. With the success of that tip, Gekko entrusts Bud with some capital to manage. Unfortunately, the other stocks selected by Bud based on honest research and advice from respected senior broker Lou Mannheim end up losing money. But Gekko doesn’t give up on Bud and offers him another chance. This time, he instructs Bud to spy on British investor Sir Lawrence Wildman. After some investigation, they realize that Wildman is attempting a takeover of Anacott Steel. Without hesitation, Gekko purchases a significant number of shares in Anacott. As a result, Wildman is forced to buy them back from Gekko at a high price in order to complete the acquisition.