HISTORIAS Manuel Espejo
Gordon Gecko
Oliver Stone's Wall Street (1987) is a captivating film with a poignant final scene that features actor Martin Sheen, portraying Bud Fox, a young stockbroker, ascending the courthouse steps to face sentencing for his illegal trading activities. Bud Fox's journey is marred by his association with Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas), a ruthless financial titan who recognized the young broker's unbridled ambition and potential to amass rapid wealth. Gekko leads Fox into the shadowy realm of financial markets, characterized by shortcuts and illicit maneuvers to make a quick buck.
Gordon Gekko imparts a critical lesson to the fledgling speculator: "The most valuable commodity is information." He claims not to gamble but rather to play it safe, stressing, "I bet on sure things." Drawing inspiration fromThe Art of War by Wei Sun Tzu, he emphasizes that every battle is won before it's fought, underscoring the need for investors to possess more knowledge about an asset than the market itself. Without privileged information or an edge over others, investment becomes a futile endeavor. To succeed as Gekko does, a speculator must operate like a cardsharp playing with marked cards—a strategy that is undeniably rational but often skirts the boundaries of legality.
The unscrupulous Gekko lures Bud Fox with the allure of wealth and the companionship of a sophisticated woman, promising riches if Fox adheres to his manipulative demands. Fox's financial and professional fortunes swiftly improve under Gekko's tutelage, transitioning from borrowing money to lavish spending, purchasing an opulent apartment, and securing a promotion at his brokerage firm. It appears that Gekko's methods yield tangible results.
The characters of Gordon Gekko and Bud Fox, while somewhat stereotypical, serve as symbols of contrasting business approaches, devoid of ambiguity. Yet, Gekko transcends the typical villain archetype found in conventional movies; he embodies a didactic character who may not elicit warmth but exposes the stark reality of power dynamics in high finance. Gekko's mantra, "Greed is good, and it works," underscores his unapologetic pursuit of wealth. Following his impassioned speech, he curtly instructs, "Now, go to work."
Gordon Gekko persuades Bud Fox to obtain insider information, which they leverage for substantial profits through investments, at times even harming the beleaguered companies themselves. The film unflinchingly illustrates that Gekko's investment strategies hinge on illegal insider trading, leading to their eventual incarceration.
In a pivotal scene during a company's shareholders' meeting, Gekko confronts a cadre of non-shareholding executives whom he accuses of enjoying lavish lives at the expense of the company and its shareholders. He asserts that he aims to liberate the shareholders from these self-serving bureaucrats, advocating for the distribution of dividends to capital owners. Gekko's modus operandi involves acquiring companies, dismantling them, and selling off their assets—an act tantamount to liquidation and dissolution.
Wall Street transcends mere entertainment, offering viewers a prism through which to contemplate broader life lessons and ethical considerations, particularly in the realm of business. It poses challenging questions without providing definitive answers: What would we do in the characters' circumstances? Would we exhibit greater honesty than Gordon Gekko or, perhaps, greater malevolence? The film invites us to confront the potential depths of moral compromise in the business world—a theme that reverberates in other cinematic masterpieces, such asThe Godfather.