“Greed is good.’ It’s one of cinema’s most celebrated misquotes, right up there with ‘Play it again, Sam.’ That the audience got it wrong is hardly surprising given that they also ignored Wall Street’s countless cautionary messages. Then again, as writer-director Oliver Stone openly admits, it’s hard to take against an issue when the character that embodies it is so damn charismatic.
“I’ve always liked Gordon Gekko,” says Stone when asked about his arch capitalist creation. “I don’t like all of the things he does – I despise many of them – but he has certain qualities I admire. He’s a fighter and that’s interesting to me. And he has actually made his money, albeit through questionable means. His isn’t inherited wealth. He was a lot of fun to write for. He can say the unsayable and he can do it in a very entertaining way. ‘Greed is good’ or, as it’s actually written, ‘Greed, for lack of a better word, is good’- lines like that are rare and so are the characters who say them.”
Gekko was also a highly credible character. Based in part on real-life Wall Street bigwigs Michael Milken and Carl Icahn, you wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Stone’s creation gracing the cover of Forbes magazine. And even if you didn’t like the cut of his jib, you had to admire the cut of his suits.
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