Gekko has become the culture’s symbol for unabashed financial gluttony. His is a common tale of the American dream: the lower class self-made man who rose from the bottom to the top. He uses the common-man card when it suits him, to imprint with guys like Bud Fox, but once the seduction is over, there’s no mistake where his standing really is. He knows he’s God in his world. Gekko has no peers, just enemies, and pawns. His philosophy in business is not unlike Conan the Barbarian’s: to crush his enemies and to see them driven before him. He just does it with stock instead of a sword.

I love movies that show good men that take a stand against bad ones. I love WALL STREET’s third act where it shows Bud using flames instead of water to defeat a greater fire — and then pays the price for it (the scene where he’s crying as the authorities escort him from his office is honest and real). In movies, we can clearly see the line between good and evil and say that’s how we must lead our lives. Unfortunately, others see that sacrifice as a cautionary tale on how to dodge getting caught.

Gekko: “If you need a friend, get a dog.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVjCRWbvM4c