7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 3.7 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.4 |
In this riveting behind-the-scenes look at big business in the 1980's, an ambitious young stockbroker is lured into the illegal, lucrative world of corporate espionage when he is seduced by the power, status and financial wizardry of Wall Street legend Gordon Gekko. But he soon discovers that the pursuit of overnight riches comes at a price that's too high to pay.
Starring: Michael Douglas, Charlie Sheen, Daryl Hannah, Martin Sheen, Hal HolbrookCrime | 100% |
Drama | 60% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: Dolby Digital Mono
Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono
English, Spanish, Cantonese, Korean
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
The main thing about money, Bud, it makes you do things you don't want to do.
Director Oliver Stone's name has become synonymous with "controversy," but love his films or
despise them, there's no denying an underlying allure to his projects -- not to mention superior
technical craftsmanship and the director's keen sense of storytelling -- that make his pictures well
worth seeing and many of them worthy of the "classic" label that both critics and fans alike have
bestowed on his works, from Platoon to World Trade Center.
One of Stone's best-loved pieces, the 1987 epic of high stakes business, wealth, greed,
arrogance, and the human conscience, Wall Street failed to earn a Best Picture or Best
Director nomination but did land star Michael Douglas (Romancing the
Stone) a well-deserved Oscar win as the year's best actor in a film littered with fine
performances in a story of 1980s excess and the pros and cons of big business and manipulation
in the name of earning more money in a quarter or on a "hot" stock tip than most could hope for
over the span of
multiple lifetimes.
I like money.
Wall Street debuts on Blu-ray with a dim and bleak 1080p, 1.85:1-framed transfer. The picture's opening title sequence inspires absolutely no confidence that Wall Street will be a particularly handsome film or one that's bound to look great in high definition; it's dark, lacking depth, and appears smeary, hazy, drab, and features flesh tones with a decidedly red/orange tint. Unfortunately, the transfer retains these same attributes throughout, lending to the film a harsh and dreary tone. Fine details can look a bit flat and undefined but general objects -- such as the dinosaur computer terminals seen throughout the film -- boast adequate detailing, though more intricate textures and visual nuances are nowhere to be found. A heavy level of grain is layered over the entire picture to give it a rough film-like texture, and only a few scattered artefacts and speckles of dirt intrude over the picture. It's not that Wall Street boasts a terrible transfer; it's rather technically sound but one of the least visually-appealing movies one's likely to find on Blu-ray.
Wall Street's DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack is best described as "paltry." There's virtually no sense of space or depth to the mix, the majority of the material cramped straight up the middle with little support from the sides and barely a hint of back-channel activity. Of note is that there's practically no sense of immersion into Fox's hectic office environment. For as bustling and busy as the locale generally is, there's nary a hint of a support structure to make the listener feel a part of the environment. Background sound effects are mushy and generally limited to the center, though a restaurant scene featuring Fox's first meeting with Gekko outside the office does feature a token back channel presence that's fairly sloppy and not in the least bit a positive addition to the track. Music occasionally bleeds into the backs but lacks any kind of real heft or clarity, and while dialogue is sometimes a bit rough around the edges and harsh in tone, there's never a problem with discernment. Like its video presentation, Wall Street's lossless soundtrack is about as bland and lifeless as they come.
Wall Street's Blu-ray release features several bonus materials, the collection headlined by an audio commentary track with Director Oliver Stone that follows his optional introduction to the film (480p, 1:03). In his commentary track, Stone smartly and engagingly but also reservedly and perhaps even a bit humbly covers his filmmaking style, the process of following up on his Oscar win for Platoon, his past works and writing scripts, his decision to craft a business-centric film and the influence of his father on the project, the work of the cast with emphasis on Douglas' performance, Stewart Copeland's score, shooting on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during real business hours, and much more. Stone occasionally lapses into the trap of recounting the action on-screen and falls into long gaps of silence, but fans of the film and its director will nevertheless find enough in here to make it a worthwhile listen. Also included are two documentaries that both come in at just under an hour in length: Greed is Good (480p, 56:37) and Money Never Sleeps: The Making of 'Wall Street' (480p, 47:38). Both documentaries feature many Oliver Stone comments that overlap from the commentary but these nevertheless prove quality pieces with various cast and crew sharing their thoughts on the film's themes and structure, the role of Wall Street in their careers, the technical aspects behind the making of the film, and much more. Of note is that Greed is Good also features several real-life Wall Street executives sharing their thoughts on the film, including its themes, realism, and staying power. Both pieces also feature extensive clips from the finished product. Also included is a collection of deleted scenes (480p, 22:39) with optional Oliver Stone commentary and 1080p trailers for Cast Away, The Devil Wears Prada, Kingdom of Heaven, and Phone Booth.
Perhaps the classic film about the 1980s, nothing says "greed" like Wall Street and nobody says "greed is good" quite like Michael Douglas. Although best known for a singular line and as another feather in Director Oliver Stone's cap, Wall Street proves a deeper film that's about the plight of a soul in the unforgiving atmosphere of big business and bigger money, the picture not necessarily a scathing look at Wall Street at-large but more a critique of the men who would unscrupulously use the system to satisfy the needs of excess and wealth in the 1980s. 20th Century Fox's Blu-ray release of the 1980s classic boasts a strong collection of extras but sports a middling 1080p transfer and a dull lossless soundtrack. Wall Street is a film that's a necessary addition to any serious collection, and for potential buyers who don't own the film on DVD, this Blu-ray is worth a purchase given its current bargain price and despite a mediocre technical presentation that nevertheless seems faithful to the source.
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