Comparing gordon gekko from 'Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps' to the Original 'Wall Street' - Essay Example

Comparing Gordon Gekko from ‘Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps’ to the Original ‘Wall Street’ The New York Times called ‘Wall Street’ (1987) one of the best business movies “which captured an era and an ethos with a gleeful precision” (Nocera AR1). The main character of the movie, Gordon Gekko, has become an iconic representative of Wall Street array. It is but natural that after such a serious financial crisis which took place in 2008 Oliver Stone decided to portray the iconic character in the modern world.

Some claim that Gordon Gekko in ‘Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps’ is “toothless”, a kind of an old man who lost his business grip (Nocera AR1). However, it is necessary to point out that Gordon Gekko became wiser and more confident since he managed to become successful within an insignificant period of time in the rapidly changing world during one of the most serious international financial crises. It goes without saying that some phrases pronounced in the original film, ‘Wall Street’, sounded like something really paradoxical: “Greed is good,” “Money never sleeps,” “If you’re not inside, you’re outside” “I guess I realized that I’m just Bud Fox” (Scaramucci 2).

Now the same is regarded as universal truth in the world of big business. Gordon Gekko was the one to pronounce them. Thus, in the late 1980s he already knew the major principles of making big money. His self-confidence made a lot of money for him, but it also became the reason of his failure. When watching the sequel it may seem that it is going to tell the story about an old man whose aim is revenge. It is so only partially. ‘Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps’ portrays a talented businessman whose aim is making money.

Gordon Gekko predicts the fall of the system. More so, he knows how to take advantage of such situation and he uses every opportunity to do what he can do best, i.e. to make big money. Notably, Stone created “a capitalist bad guy whose dynamism and charisma — whose relish at the sheer, ruthless fun of predation — leaves a much deeper impression than his duplicity or his greed” (Scott C1). In ‘Wall Street’ Gekko is just a business shark that pays little attention to such things as honor, duty or rightfulness.

In ‘Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps’ Gekko is also cunning, self-confident, sometimes assertive, but he is more appealing than he was in 1980s. Gekko seems to be an artist rather than a villain. Hirschberg pointed out that Gekko used to make “Faustian” deals (121). Thus, Gekko is compared to Satan, one of the most frightening and appealing characters of the western culture. In fact, such comparison is quite adequate since many want to have the same power as Gekko (and Satan), but they are afraid of possible consequences.

Besides, it is necessary to state that Gekko in ‘Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps’ is still the same iconic character that embodies all virtues of the business world. In conclusion, it is possible to point out that Gordon Gekko has remained a personification of Wall Street sharks who are believed to rule the world. When comparing Gekko depicted in two different environments (financial difficulties of 1980s and financial crises of 2008) it is necessary to admit that he developed into more sophisticated businessman whose calling is making money.

Work Cited Hirschberg, Jeffrey. Reflections of the Shadow: Creating Memorable Heroes and Villains for Film and TV. Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions, 2009. Nocera, Joe. “When Did Gekko Get So Toothless?” The New York Times 26 September 2010: AR1. Scaramucci, Anthony. Goodbye Gordon Gekko: How to Find Your Fortune Without Losing Your Soul. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons, 2010. Scott, A.O. “The Pride That Went Before the Fall.” The New York Times 24 September 2010: C1.