" Excuse me." " Easy." "Excuse me!" " Sorry." " Easy!" "Good morning." "Jackson-Steinem." " How you doing, Buddy?" " Great, Carolyn." "Doing any better, it'd be a sin." "Good morning." "Good morning, Dan." "What's lookin' good today?" "If I knew, I wouldn't be in this business." "Get out while you're young, kid." "I came here one day, I sat down, and look at me now." "Look at you now." "Good morning, Brian." "Hey, Chuckie." "How's the woman slayer?" "Still looking for the right 18-year-old wife." "How you doing, pal?" "Well, uh, if I had your looks, better." "Takes years of genetics, a Yale education, and the right tailor." "Not that you learned anything, chump." " Marv." " Hey." "Marv, I got a feeling we are gonna make a killing today." "Oh, yeah?" "Where's your machine gun?" "Jesus, you can't make a buck in this market." "The country's going to hell faster than when that son of a bitch Roosevelt was in charge." "Too much cheap money sloshing' around in the world." "Worst mistake we ever made was letting Nixon get off the gold standard." "Putney Drug." "You boys might wanna take a look at it." "No." "Take five years for that company to come around." "But they got a good new drug." "Stick to the fundamentals." "That's how I.B.M. and Hilton were built." "Good things sometimes take time." "Look sharp today, boys, especially you rookies." "The Nikkei index closed up 90 points last night." "We expect heavy Japanese buying on the opening." "The firm has 200,000 steel for sale." "350,000 pork and beans." "Get on the horn with your institution." "Report on their appetite." "Utilities are our top priority today." " Okay, let's go to work." " And they're off and running." "We cleared up to 60,000 G.C. at 48 and a half." "Yes, that's right." "Right. 10,000." "Right." " The market just opened." "What are you talking about?" " Runner!" "Yeah, here's a hot lead." "Research just put thrifts on the recommended." "What?" "Yeah, dump 'em, for Christ's sake!" "Let's go!" "30,000. 3-8 top." "I'd go along at 23." "You got it." "Now you own it." "Conwest Air?" "Let me check it." "10,000 at the quarter." "That's Industrial Oil— 29,000 Niagaras for Templeton." "Mr. Harrison, I don't know if you're aware of this or not... but we are in the middle of the biggest bull market of our generation... or any other I've ever witnessed." "No, no, sir, it's not quite what you think." "If you'd just take five minutes of your time—" "Looking for 50,000 Con Air!" "What do you got for me?" "September 50s?" "How about those Decembers?" "Bud Fox, Jackson-Steinem." "Yes, sir, I am aware of that." "If I could just have five minutes of your time... to explain the extraordinary opportunities emerging in the international debt market—" " I know all about it." " No, no, sir—" "Bud Fox, Jackson-Steinem." "Yes, I am aware of this, sir." "But if I could just have five minutes of your time... to explain the extraordinary opportunities emerging in the international debt market—" "I'm sure that, um—" "It concerns my future!" "I need the information now before the close!" "No, in 10 minutes, it's history!" "At 4:00, I'm a dinosaur!" "Howard, I thought you were a gentleman." "Sure, it's gone down." "But you got the tip, I didn't." "I didn't tell you to buy it." "Why would I tell you to sell it?" " Give it back!" " Look, give it back to who?" "I can't give it back." "You own it!" "No, he's not here right now." " That's what you told us to say." " Give me that phone." " Hello?" " Hello." " Who am I talking to?" " This is the sales manager." "What seems to be the problem?" "What?" "Oh, will you give me a break, for Christ's sake!" "How the hell was I supposed to know you were in surgery?" " What am I, Marvin the Mind Reader?" " Want me to pull my account?" "Uh, no, sir." "I'll discuss that with the account executive." " I'll get back to you." " I appreciate that." "No, sir, you're welcome." "I'm closing the account out." "If he doesn't pay tomorrow, you pay." "Mr. Lynch, I swear to you, he's lying." "We give you one of those rich man's accounts." "You tell me that he's gonna D.K. you for a lousy quarter point?" "I don't think you're being fair, sir." "You assigned me to this guy." " You know he's got a history of this kind of bullshit!" " Somebody's got to pay." "Ain't gonna be me." "Buddy, Buddy." "Little trouble, huh, today, Buddy?" "Howard the jerk reneged on me." " I gotta cover his losses that total about seven grand!" " Yeah, I'm holding." "I'm holding." "I'm tapped out, Marv." "American Express has got a hit man looking for me." "Well, it could've been worse, right?" "Could've been my money." "Here, here, rookie." "Let me help you out." "What do I got?" "A C-note." " Thanks, Marv." "I'll make it up to you." " Yes, I am still here!" "You know what my dream is?" "Is to one day be on the other end of that phone." "Oh, you got it, baby, where the real cheesecake is." "Hey, Bud, you forgetting' somethin'?" "The Gekko phone call?" "Buddy, when are you gonna realize it's the big game hunters who bag the elephants?" " Gordon Gekko, please." " Oh, Gekko." "Gekko's beautiful." "Thirty seconds after the Challenger blew up... he's on the phone selling NASA stock short!" "Yeah, but 47 million he made on the Melcor deal... 23 on the Imperial deal before he was 40." "The guy makes 20 times what Dave Winfield makes in a year, and he talks to everybody." "And he had an ethical bypass at birth." " Hello, Natalie?" "Guess who." " Mr. Fox." "That's right." "Every day I say to myself that today could be the day." "What do you say, Natalie?" "Will you marry me?" " I'll think about it." " That's terrible." " Can you please get me through to Mr. Gekko?" " It concerns his fortune." " He's very busy today." " So am I. Five minutes." "That's all I'm asking." "Mr. Fox, I've told you before, I'm sure you're a good broker... but our traders deal with the brokers." "Mr. Gekko only deals with investment bankers." "Will you at least tell him I called?" " There are big changes taking place." " I shall give him your message." "Leo, I understand that, but you have to realize... there'll be major subordinator debt involved." "Yeah." "Hey, Buddy boy, how you doing?" " Great, Charlie." "Any better, it'd be a sin." " You're lookin' good." "Jesus Christ!" "Hey, listen." "Listen." "I hear all you guys on Wall Street are millionaires." " When you gonna make us all rich?" " You gotta open an account to win the lottery." "Look, you give me 50 grand, I'll get you a condo in Florida next Christmas." "Sure." "We'll own the airline by then." "If he's gonna make anybody rich, let him make himself rich so he can pay off his school loans." "Nice to see you in such a good mood, Dad." "What'd Mom do, give you fish for dinner?" "You're smoking too much." "How many times you gotta go to the hospital to realize—" "Leave me alone." "It's the only thing that makes me feel good anymore." "There you go, Frank." "All set." "Spaghetti." "Your mother still makes lousy spaghetti." "It's called pasta now, Dad." "Spaghetti's out of date." " Yeah, so am I. You want a beer?" " Yeah." "Billy, bring a Molson Light for the kid, will ya?" " He's looking good, huh?" " He looks terrific." " Carl, we're gonna be at the bar." " All right." " Nice seeing you, Buddy." " All right." " Take care." " I'll catch up with you." "All right, Charlie." "So, you look like you've grown another inch... but you don't look so hot, Buddy." " Starting to get bags under your eyes like your old man." " Yeah, I had a tough day." "Some jerk D.K.'d me, and I gotta cover his losses." " Speak English, will ya?" " D.K." "Didn't know who I was when the options he bought took a bath." " Bastard reneged on me." " I told you not to get into that racket in the first place." "You could have been a doctor or a lawyer." "If you'd stayed at Bluestar, you could have been a supervisor... in customer relations by now instead of going off and being a salesman." "Dad, how many times I gotta tell ya?" "I am not a salesman." "I'm an account executive." "Pretty soon, I'll move into the investment banking side." "You get on the phone and ask strangers for money, right?" "You're a salesman." "Dad, it takes time." "You gotta build a client list." "I'm doing that." "I could make more money in one year as a broker than in five years at this airline." " Thank you, Billy." " Thanks." "I don't get it, kid." "You borrow money to go to N.Y.U." "The first year out, you make 35 grand." "You made 50 grand last year." "You still can't pay off your loans." "Where does it all go?" "50K does not get you to first base in the Big Apple, not anymore." "Look, I got 40% in taxes, 15 grand for rent." "I got school loans, car loans, food, park my car." "That's three bills a month." "I need good suits— 400 bucks a pop." "So come back home and live rent-free... instead of that roach-infected place you're livin' in." "$50,000." "Jesus Christ." "The whole world's off its rocker!" "You know, I made a total of $47,000 last year." "That's before taxes." "That's Queens, Dad." "A 5% mortgage, and you rent the top room." "I gotta live in Manhattan to be a player." "There is no nobility in poverty anymore, Dad." "One day, you're gonna be proud of me." "You'll see." "It's yourself you gotta be proud of, Huckleberry." "How much you need?" "Can you spare 300?" "I'll pay you back next month, I promise." " I don't know if I got that much on me." " Not in here, please." "It adds up, kid." "You know, 300 here, 200 there." "Well, like I always say, money's only something you need in case you don't die tomorrow." " Ain't that right, Carl?" " Nice seeing you." " How you doing?" " All right." "How's work been treating you?" "Damn mandatory drug tests are driving my men crazy." "I even got flagged the other day for my blood pressure pills." "The only good news is we just had a meeting with the controller... about some union business, and guess what." " What?" " Remember the accident last year and the investigation?" " Sure." " The F.A.A. is gonna rule... it was a manufacturing error in the door latch mechanism." "I knew it all the time." "I kept telling them it wasn't maintenance." "It was those goddamn greedy manufacturers out in Cincinnati." " That's great, Dad." " Damn right." "This gets us out from under suspension." "We can go for those new routes to Pittsburgh and Boston now." "We're gonna compete with the big guys." "Well, to Bluestar." "And as your broker... all I can advise is you hold on to that stock." "What stock?" "Are you kidding?" " You sure about this thing?" " What?" " The F.A.A. announcement." " Sure I'm sure." "Look at me." "You got that mischievous look in your eye, Buddy." "You used to smile just like that when you were a kid sleeping." "It's true." "Just like that." "Good morning, Gordon." "I have a delivery for Mr. Gekko." " It's a personal item, and he needs you to sign for it." " All right." "Send him in." "Hello, Natalie." "Recognize the voice?" "I'll give you a hint." "You're thinking seriously about marrying me." " What are you doing here?" " You are even lovelier than I pictured." "I got a birthday present for Mr. Gekko." "First of all, you can't just come barging in here." " And what makes you think it's his birthday?" " Well, it's in the Bible." "See?" "You better go buy him a gift." "Please, Natalie, let me give this to him." "Cuban cigars." "Davidoff— his favorite." "Very tough to get." "Please, Natalie." "Stay here." "I'll see what I can do." "Wait outside." "Yeah, I'll see you shortly I hope." "Five minutes." "Well, life all comes down to a few moments." "This is one of them." "What the hell's going on?" "I'm looking at 200,000 shares move, pal." "I wanna know if we're part of it." "We'd better be, or I'm gonna come down and eat your lunch for you." "Back to two, Alex." "Sorry, Jeff." "Look, I loved it at 40." "It's an insult at 50." "Their analysts, they don't know preferred stock from livestock, all right?" "Wait till it heads south." "Then we raise the sperm count on the deal, okay?" "Get back at ya." "This is the kid who calls me 59 days in a row, wants to be a player." "Oughta be a picture of you in the dictionary under "persistence," kid." "Listen, I'm looking for negative control, okay?" "No more than 30%, 35%." "Just enough to block anybody else's merger plans... and find out from the inside if the books are cooked." "Looks as good as on paper, we're in the kill zone, pal." "We lock and load." "Lunch?" "You gotta be kiddin'." "Lunch is for wimps." "Okay, Billy, I'll talk at ya." "How do you do, Mr. Gekko?" "I'm Bud Fox." "So you say." "Nice to meet you." "Hope you're intelligent." " Where did you get these?" " I got a connection at the airport." "So what's on your mind, Kemo Sabe?" "Why am I listening to you?" "I gotta monitor my blood pressure... so whatever you do, don't upset me here." " No." "No, sir." " Within 45 seconds... the microprocessor computes your systolic and diastolic pressure." "Got an L.C.D. readout." "Cost-effective." "Less than one visit to a doctor." "I just wanna let you know, Mr. Gekko... that I've read all about you at N.Y.U. Business... and I think you're an incredible genius." "I've always dreamed of one thing and that's to do business with a man like you." "What firm you with, pal?" " Jackson-Steinem." " They're going places." "Good junk bond department." "You the financing on that Janson investment?" "Yeah." "Yeah, we're working on some other interesting stuff." "Cosmetic company, by any chance?" "What, are you 12th man on the deal team?" "Last to know?" "I can't tell you that, Mr. Gekko." "So what do you got for me, sport?" "Why are you here?" "Chart breakout on this one here." "Whitewood-Young Industries." "Explosive earnings." "A 30% discount from the book." " Great cash flow." "Couple of 5% holders." " It's a dog." " Very strong management." " It's a dog, pal." "What else you got besides connections at the airport?" "Mr. Stevenson in San Francisco." "He respond to the offer?" " What?" " He's in Chicago." "What the hell is Cromwell doing giving a lecture tour... when he's losing 60 million a quarter?" "Guess he's giving lectures on how to lose money." "Jesus Christ!" "If this guy owned a funeral parlor, no one would die." " This turkey is totally brain-dead!" " All right, Gordon." "Okay." "All right." "Christmas is over, and business is business." "You keep on buying." "Dilute the son of a bitch!" "Ollie, I want every orifice in his fucking body flowing red." "He's flowing, Gordo." "Piece of cake." "Doesn't look like it." "This guy's the best trader on the streets." "Susan, get me the L.B.O. analysis on Teldar Paper." "Bring it in here, please." " Mr. Gekko, your wife." " What else?" "What else you got?" "Tarafly." "Analysts don't like it." "I do." "The breakup value is twice the market price." "This deal finances itself." "You sell off two divisions—" "That's not bad for a quant, but that's a dog with different fleas." "Come on, pal." "Tell me something I don't know." "It's my birthday." "Surprise me." " Bluestar." " What?" " Bluestar Airlines." " Rings a bell somewhere." "So what?" "It's a comer." "Eighty medium-body jets." "300 pilots." "Flies Florida..." "Canada, uh, northeast, Caribbean, great slots in major cities." "I don't like airlines." "Lousy unions." "Well, there was a crash last year." "They just got a favorable ruling on a lawsuit." "Even the plaintiffs don't know about it." "Well, how do you know about it?" "I just know." "The decision should clear the way for new planes and route contracts." "There's only a small float out there, so you should grab it." " Good for a five-point pop." " Just got 250,000 shares at 18 and a quarter from Janson." "Think I can pull twice that at 18 and a half from the California pensions." "We got close to a half a million shares in the bag." "Huh?" "The Terminator!" "Blow 'em away, Ollie!" "And I'm pretty sure we got the Beezer brothers coming in with us." "And I'm working on the Silverberg boys." "Rip their fucking throats out." "Stuff 'em in your garbage compactor." " You got a card?" " Home number's on the back." "Bud Fox, I look at 100 deals a day." " I choose one." " I hope to hear from you, sir." "Thanks for the cigars." "Let's go, guys." "Looks like we're going over 5% in Teldar." "Start the lawyers on a tender offer at 13 "D."" "We buy everything in sight." "We don't pay over 22." "Now, they're gonna fight." "They got Myers and Thromburg doing their legal." " Thanks, Natalie." " Have a nice day, Mr. Fox." "Mr. Gekko, your conference call is ready." "Mr. Sugarman and Mr. Lorenzo in Delaware, Mr. Bernard in Los Angeles..." "Mr. Jackson and Miss Roscoe in London— they're all on." "But, please, I'm begging you." "I'm— I'm in a bind down here." "We've got all these damn new computers... and young men that are edging me out here." "Hey, Bud?" "Bud, did he see you?" "Yeah, he saw right through me." "Cheer up, Buddy, Buddy." "You shook Gekko the Great's hand." "You still got all your fingers." "Besides, this clown is not the only elephant in the jungle." "Holy cow." "Did you get something from him?" "Teldar Paper, huh?" "Nah." "It's a dog with fleas." "Fox, where have you been for the last three hours?" "If I were you, and I thank my personal God I am not..." "I wouldn't be sitting around chin-wagging." "Plenty of six-figure names in that zip code file to cold-call." "Buddy, got tickets for the Knick game tonight." "Go out and cruise some chicks afterwards." "This is gonna be awesome." " What do you say?" " Nah, I gotta read my charts." "Come on." "Forget charts, will you?" "We're not fund managers here." "Churn 'em and burn 'em." "I am offering you the Knicks and chicks." "God help you before you turn into poor Steeples over there." "Preferably Lou Mannheim." "Oh, yeah." "Nice guy, swell fella." "But he's a loser." "He lost all his equity when the firm went belly-up in the recession of '71." "You wanna be coming in here in your late 60s still pitching'?" "Bud, whatever happened to that cute analyst over at Thudder and Wicks?" " Sidney?" "Susan?" "What was her name?" " Cindy." "Having sex with her was like reading the Wall Street Journal." " She had a heartbeat." " You wanna bet?" "I gotta get to work." "Z's today." "Call for you, Buddy!" "Pick up two!" "Bud Fox." "All right, Bud Fox..." "I want you to buy 20,000 shares of Bluestar... at 15 and an eighth, three-eighths tops." "And don't screw it up, sport." "Think you can handle that?" "Yes, sir." "Thank you, sir." "You won't regret this." "Whoo!" "Marv, I just bagged the elephant!" "Gekko." " Hiya, sport." " Nice to see you again, Mr. Gekko." "Hey, try the steak tartare." "It's off the menu." " Louis will make it for you." " Of course, sir." " Anything to drink?" " Just an Evian, please." "Hey, see this?" "Can you believe it?" " It's got a two-inch screen." " I can hardly see it." "It's for my kid Rudy." "Three years old." "He's an electronics freak." "I tell you, we're going to a new age, pal." " Check." "So how's business today?" " Great." "Bluestar was at 17 and a quarter when I left the office up from 15." " Might spin up to 18 by the bell." " Teldar's shooting up." "Did you buy any for yourself?" "I bet you were on the phone two minutes after you got out of my office, huh?" "No, sir, that wouldn't have been legal." "Sure." "Relax, pal, No one's gonna blow the whistle on you." "Is that legal?" "Why don't you put that in my account." " Hey, Gordon." " Georgie, the cellular king." "How you been, pal?" " Monique." "So nice to see you, my dear." " Hello, Gordon." " You look wonderful." " You're looking very, very well yourself." "And Mr. Davis." "Yes." "Good." "Can I get the check here, please?" "For Christ's sakes!" "That should cover that Bluestar buy." "Put a couple hundred thou... on one of those bow-wow stocks you mentioned." "Pick the dog with the least fleas." "Use a stop loss so your downside is 100 thou." "And buy a decent suit." "You can't come in here looking like this." " Go to Morty Sills." "Tell him I sent you." " Yes, sir." "Thank you, Mr. Gekko." "Thank you for the chance." "You will not regret this." "You're with a winner." "Right." "Right." "Put the rest of the money in a tax-free mutual fund." "I wanna see how you do before I invest it." "And save the cheap salesman talk, will ya?" "It's obvious." " Excuse me, sir?" " You heard me." "I don't like losses, sport." "Nothing ruins my day more than losses." "Now, you do good, you get perks... lots and lots of perks." " Louis?" " Yes, sir." "Take care of my friend." "Have a good lunch, Buddy." "Hi, Richard." "How are you?" "Congratulations." " Hi, Bud." " Hi." "I'm Lisa, a friend of Gordon's." "Lisa?" "Gordon?" "Oh, oh, Mr. Gekko." "Sure." "Uh, would you like to come in?" "Didn't he tell you?" "Oh, that's so like Gordon." "Why don't you get dressed." "We're going out." " We are?" " Mmm." "Thanks." "So, where are we going?" "Wherever you like." "Lutèce, 21, the River Café." "Or maybe we could just— drive around for a while... work up an appetite." " Want some?" " Sure." "Gordon tells me that you're a very talented broker." "What do you like?" "Like?" "Well—" "I've got this guy who should know, tells me to buy Hewlett-Packard." "But I've been burned on tips." "Um, Hewlett." "Well, let's see." "It closed at 41 and a quarter." "Up an eighth." "Very attractive." " Uh-huh." " About average yield." " Very attractive." " Mmm." " Rising profits." " Ooh." "Strong balance sheet." " You're hot on this stock." " Uh—" "It's ready to take off." "I'd jump all over it if I were you." "Good morning, Carolyn." "Morning, Buddy." "You look happy." "Well, any better, and I'd be guilty." " You were never that innocent, sugar pie." " How do you know?" "You wish." "Goddamn!" "We sure went down the toilet on that ugly bitch." "Buddy, Mr. Gekko's office is looking for you." "Be at the Wyatt Club courts at 6:00." "Come on, sport." "You gotta try harder." "You need some exercise, for Christ's sakes." "I don't think I can go on, Mr. Gekko." "Let's go, Buddy." "Push yourself." "Finish out the game." "Very nice club, Mr. Gekko." "Yeah." "Not bad for a city college boy." "I bought my way in." "Now all these Ivy League schmucks are sucking my kneecaps." "I just got on the board of the Bronx Zoo." "It cost me a mil." "That's the thing you gotta remember about wasps— they love animals, they can't stand people." "Uh, Mr. Gekko, we took a little loss today." "We got stomped out on Tarafly." "About 100 grand." "Well, I guess your dad's not a union representative of that company, huh?" "How do you know about my father?" "The most valuable commodity I know of is information." "Wouldn't you agree?" "Yeah." "The public's out there throwing darts at a board, sport." "I don't throw darts at a board." "I bet on sure things." "Read Sun Tzu, The Art of War." ""Every battle is won before it's ever fought." Think about it." "You're not as smart as I thought you were, Buddy boy." "You ever wonder why fund managers can't beat the SP 500?" "'Cause they're sheep, and sheep get slaughtered." "I've been in this business since '69." "Most of these Harvard M.B.A. types, they don't add up to dog shit." "Give me guys that are poor, smart and hungry, and no feelings." "You win a few, you lose a few, but you keep on fighting." "And if you need a friend, get a dog." "It's trench warfare out there, pal." "Hey, Georgie." " Hey, Gordon." " How's Larchmont treating you?" "Fine." "How's the Praxer deal going?" " You should know, pal." " Asshole." "And inside here too." "I got 20 other brokers analyzing charts, pal." "I don't need another one." "See you around, Buddy." "I am not just another broker, Mr. Gekko." "If you give me another chance, I'll prove that to you." " I'll go the extra yard." " Just one more chance." "Please!" " You want another chance?" " Fuckin'" "A!" "Then you stop sending me information, and you start getting me some." "Get dressed." "I'll show you my charts." "You know the name?" "Of course." "Larry Wildman, one of the first raiders." "Sir Larry Wildman." "Like all Brits... thinks he was born with a better pot to piss in." "Bribed an old secretary of mine." "Opened her mouth... stole R.D.L. Pharmaceuticals right from under me." " Wildman, the white knight." " I remember that deal." "You were involved?" "Payback time, sport." "You see that building?" "I bought that building 10 years ago." "My first real estate deal." "Sold it two years later." "Made an $800,000 profit." "It was better than sex." "At that time, I thought that was all the money in the world." "Now it's a day's pay." "Anyway, I had a mole in Wildman's operation." "He gave me half the picture, then he got fired." "I don't think I follow, Mr. Gekko." "Wildman's in town." "He just became an American citizen." "Something big is going down, okay?" "I wanna know where he goes and what he sees." "I want you, pal, to fill out the missing picture." "Uh, Mr. Gekko, it's not exactly what I do." "I could— I could lose my license." "If the S.E.C. found out, I could go to jail." "That's inside information, isn't it?" "You mean like when a father tells a son about a court ruling on an airline?" "Or someone overhears that I'm buying Teldar Paper... and decides he's gonna buy some for himself?" "Or the chairman of the board of X.Y.Z. decides it's time to blow out X.Y.Z.?" "Is that what you mean?" "I'm afraid, pal, unless your father's on the board of directors of another company... you and I are gonna have a very tough time doing business together." " What about hard work?" " What about it?" "You work hard?" "Bet you stayed up all night analyzing that dog shit stock you gave me, huh?" "Where'd it get you?" "My father, he worked like an elephant... pushing electrical supplies till he dropped dead at 49 with a heart attack and tax bills." "Wake up, will you, pal?" "If you're not inside, you are outside, okay?" "And I'm not talking about some $400,000-a-year working Wall Street stiff... flying first class and being comfortable." "I'm talking about liquid." "Rich enough to have your own jet." "Rich enough not to waste time." "Fifty, $100 million, Buddy." "A player... or nothing." "Now, you had what it took to get in my office." "The real question is whether you got what it takes to stay." "Look at that." "Are you gonna tell me... the difference between this guy and that guy is luck?" "Mohammed, pull over, will you?" "I hope you don't mind if I drop you off here." "I'm late." "Buddy, it's been nice meeting you, okay?" "All right, Mr. Gekko, you got me." " Excuse me, please." " Excuse us." "Excuse me." "I'm sorry, sir." "Do you have a reservation?" " Uh, table for one." " Reservations only." "We're booked for a whole week." " Please give us a call." " All right." "Don't touch." "Everything ready, sir." "Excuse me!" "Excuse me." "Mr. Wildman on board that plane?" " Yeah." " Shit!" "My boss is gonna kill me." "I was supposed to give him this." "You know where that plane is going?" " Erie, Pennsylvania." " Thank you." "After spending the morning at Kahn-Seidelman... on the 14th floor of the junk bond department where Shane Mora works... he had lunch at that French restaurant Le Circus... with a group of well-dressed heavyset bean counters." "He later stopped off at Morgan." "I'd say from all the sweet smiling and palm pressing going on... that Larry got himself some nice fat financing, G.G." "Bright, but not bright enough, Sherlock." "Let's roll the dice and play a little Monopoly." "What box is Sir Larry gonna land on in Erie, Pennsylvania?" "Jesus Christ!" "He's buying Anacott Steel." "Okay." "When the market opens tomorrow..." "I want you to buy 1,500 July 50 calls." " You hear me?" " 1,500." "Yes, sir." "Start buying 1,000-share blocks, and take it up to $50." "When it reaches 50, give out a little taste to your friends." "Then I want you to call the Wall Street Chronicle, extension 1605." "You tell the man, "Blue Horseshoe loves Anacott Steel."" " You got that?" " The Wall Street Chronicle." "All right." "Congratulations, Buddy." "You scored." " I'll talk at you." " All right." "Start buying Anacott Steel across the board." "Use the offshore accounts." "And keep it quiet." "Frank, 10,000 A.N.C. at 46." "Let me know how the options are opening, okay?" "Thank you." "Jackson-Steinem." "How— How is Anacott Steel?" " Five and three-quarters six. 2,000 up." " Six for 10,000." "I'll sell you 2,000." "2,000 Anacott." "That's not what I said." "I said 20,000 shares." "Anacott priced at six." "What do you wanna buy—" " And a quarter. 8,000 at a quarter?" " I'll take 8,000 at a quarter." "Make it six to a half." "2,000 up." "What do you wanna do?" "Yeah, I know what time it is." "I realize that the market— This is what I'm saying to you." "We have important financial news, Mr. Earlich... important financial news that just happens to concern your future." "You could benefit a great— Oh, come on." "What the hell's going on?" "Anacott Steel." "Put your best customers in it." "Lou, I got a sure thing." "Anacott Steel." "No such thing except death and taxes." "Not a good company anymore." "No fundamentals." "What's going on, Bud?" "You know something?" "Remember, there are no shortcuts, son." "Quick-buck artists come and go with every bull market... but the steady players make it through the bear markets." "You're a part of something here, Bud." "The money you make for people creates science and research jobs." " Don't sell that out." " You're right, Lou." "You're right." "But you gotta get to the big time first." "Then you can be a pillar and do good things." "You can't get a little bit pregnant, son." "Lou, trust me." "It's a winner." "Buy it." "Then we'll kamikaze over to Nell's and chase a little cotton underwear." "I know this 18-year-old bimbette that's just gorgeous." " Wait a minute." "Hold on." "Hold on." " Play some tennis Saturday?" "Me teach you how to play tennis." "Can't." "I'm going fly-fishing in Canada." "Really big client." " Did you take Anacott?" " Light snack, but good." "Thanks, pal." "Sharking your way up." "Yeah, sure." "No, no, my dear, you've got to diversify." "I got a sure thing." "Anacott Steel." "I've just heard the most lovely two words." "Blue Horseshoe loves Anacott Steel." " Anacott Steel?" " Right." "Looks like Anacott Steel's in play." "Check the arbs." "Looks like it's being accumulated." "We've gotta position it." "Yeah, Lou, Anacott." "High buy." "Yeah." "Take it and bid it." "If I'm right, eighths and quarters won't matter." "I'm taking Anacott." "This is really special." "Anacott." "Make the tape." " Bet the ranch." " Buy 100,000 shares." " Wildman is sniffing around." " It's on automatic pilot to the moon." " If it hits 75, we could clean close to 24 mil." " Thanks, pal." "First lesson in business:" "Don't get emotional about stock." "Clouds the judgment." "Which closed at 51 and an eighth... up five and one eighth from yesterday's close on heavy trading." " Can I help you?" " Yes, I'm Bud Fox." "I have some papers for Mr. Gekko to sign." " Come in." " Thank you." " I'm sorry about this, Mr. Gekko." " It's all right." "It's okay." "All right." "You wanna wait here?" "That'd be great." " Problems?" " There's no problem." "This is Bud Fox." " My wife Kate." " Hello." " A pleasure." " You came out from the city?" " Yes, ma'am." " Ah." "Long drive." "You want a drink?" " Yeah, you want a drink?" "Um, sure." " If you'd rather not—" "No, no, no." "Come on." "Have a drink." "Get to meet all the people." "It's a good idea." "That's Sam Ruspoli, Carmen Winters, Stone Livingston." " This is Bud Fox." " May I offer you a drink?" "His illustrious wife Muffie." "Candice Rogers." "Dick Brady." " Darien Taylor." "All old friends." " Hi." "Hello." "Great idea, Gordon." "I know good help is hard to find... but can he create a dry vodka martini?" "Doesn't talk back, doesn't steal the silverware." "And Dick here, he's gonna get me an exemption, aren't you, Dick?" "I'm in St. Kitts... with this new Kamali leopard skin V-cut bikini... which is gonna turn back the clock on my marriage, like, five years." " You know what I mean?" " Call for you, sir." "Sir Lawrence Wildman." "He says it's important." "Thank you, Nyun." "Would you fix Mr. Livingston another Martini." "Stick around." "This could be fun." "It's all because this Ukrainian bitch botched the job on my wax on my bikini line." "Oh, how ghastly!" "You should sue her." " Larry, what a surprise." " I want to see you, Gordon." "Well, can it wait till tomorrow?" "I've got some people over here tonight." " No, this can't wait." "It's important." " Okay." "All right, if you feel that way, come on over." "Ah!" "There you are." "Listen, can I steal him for a minute?" " Of course." " I want your opinion." "Okay." "About what?" "So what do you see in this?" "Purity, innocence." "A few thousand dollars down the tubes if you ask me." "Really?" "Well, I guess you can kiss your career as an art appraiser good-bye... 'cause we paid over 400,000 for it at the contemporary picture sale last year." "Jesus." "You could have had a whole beach house for that." "Sure you could, in Wildwood, New Jersey." "If you sold this one, you could have a pretty nice penthouse on 5th." "But you wouldn't have much left over for decoration." "It's nice if you're on mushrooms." "Boy, I thought Gordon was a real tough businessman." " He's really taken a bath on that." " A bath?" "I'd say Gordon is one of the most astute collectors around." "He has a great eye and he only buys the best." "Like this rug, for instance." "A Bokara." "The finest of its kind." "The day after he bought it in London, a dealer representing the Saudi royal family... offered him twice what he paid." "It absolutely makes the room." "See how this little bit of celadon in the border... is picked up by these cushions on the sofa?" "Although, it's sacrilege having that Etruscan vase on the center of the coffee table." "Some dope might use it as an ashtray." "I guess you're a decorator?" "You got it." "A great spender of other people's money." "Well, if you're that good, I'm sure you could do wonders with my place." " Where would that be?" " Upper West Side." "Really?" "Home of the exposed brick wall and the house plant?" "Well, it's just a rental." "I'll be moving to the East Side soon." "Couple of deals brewing with Gordon." "But that's just conversation." "What about real things, like dinner, the two of us, next Friday..." "Café Santa Domingo?" "What if I have a previous engagement?" " You break it." " There you go again, Darien." "Talking with strange men." " Hello." " Hello." "Sam, do you know Bud Fox?" "Sam, he's in banking." "Works for Gordon." " Nice meeting you." " Nice to meet you." " Are you staying for dinner?" " No, I've got a lot of work to do." "Ah, the bell." " Excuse me." " Call me next week." "I'll give you an estimate." "Larry." "How have you been?" " Fine." "Traveling actually." " Yes." " Can I get you a drink?" " Nothing, thank you." "Larry!" "Excuse me." "Sir Larry." "How are you?" "Goddamn, you look great." " Gordon." " So you wanna talk?" " I guess I'll be heading back now, Mr. Gekko." " Stick around." "This is one of my gang, Bud Fox." " Should we go upstairs?" " Yeah." "The rarest pistol in the world, Larry— a.45 Luger." "Only six of 'em were ever manufactured." "Congratulations." "But rarer still is your interest in Anacott Steel." "My interest is the same as yours, Larry— money." "I thought it'd be a good investment for my kid." "No, this time, I'm in for the long term." "It's not a liquidation." "I'm gonna turn it around." "You're getting a free ride on my tail, mate." "And with the dollars you're costing me to buy back the stock..." "I could modernize the plant." "I'm not the only one who pays here, Gordon." "We're talking about lives and jobs, three and four generations of steelworkers." "Correct me if I'm wrong, but when you acquired C.N.X. Electronics... you laid off, what, 6,000 workers." "Jemson Fruit— 4,000." "That airline you bought, um—" "I could break you, mate, in two pieces over my knees." "You know it, I know it." "I could buy you six times over." "I could dump the stock just to burn your ass!" "But I happen to want the company... and I want your block of shares." "I'm announcing a tender offer at 65 tomorrow." "I'm expecting your commitment." "Showdowns bore me, Larry." "Nobody wins." "You can have the company." "In fact, it's gonna be fun... watching you and your giant ego try to make a horse race of it." "Buddy, what's a fair price for that stock?" "The breakup value is higher." "It's worth 80." "Well, we don't want to be greedy." "So what do you say to 72?" "You're a two-bit pirate and greenmailer, nothing more, Gekko." "Not only would you sell your mother to make a deal, you'd send her C.O.D." "My mail is the same color as yours is, pal." "Or at least it was until the queen started to call you "sir."" "Now, you'll excuse me before I lose my temper." "Seventy-one." "Well, now, considering you brought my mother into it, 71.50." "Done." "You'll hear from my lawyers tomorrow, 8:00 a.m. Good night." "You know, he's right." "I had to sell." "The key to the game is your capital reserves." "You don't have enough, you can't piss in the tall weeds with the big dogs." ""All warfare's based on deception."" "Sun Tzu." ""If your enemy is superior, evade him." ""If angry, irritate him." ""If equally matched, fight." "And if not, split and reevaluate."" "Hey, he's learning, huh?" "Buddy's learning." " Yeah." " Money never sleeps, pal." "Just made 800,000 in Hong Kong gold." "It's been wired to you." "Play with it." "You done good... but you gotta keep doing good." "I showed you how the game works." "Now school's out." "Mr. Gekko, I'm there for you 110%." "No, no, no, no." "You don't understand." "I wanna be surprised." "Astonish me, pal." "New info." "I don't care where or how you get it." "Just get it." "My, uh, wife tells me you made a move on Darien." "Well, here's some inside info for you." "That Euro-flash G.Q. type she's going out with has got big bucks... but he's putting her feet to sleep." "Exit visas are imminent." "So I don't want you losing your place in line." "Ah, Jesus." "I wish you could see this." "Light's coming up." "I've never seen a painting that captures the beauty of the ocean... at a moment like this." "I'm gonna make you rich, Bud Fox." "Yeah, rich enough you can afford a girl like Darien." "This is your wake-up call, pal." "Go to work." " Fox." " Mr. Barnes." "Buddy, is this déjà vu?" "What's it been, a year, a year and a half?" "So, I hear you're moving up in the world." "Senior associate." "Not bad." "Not bad." "How's Margie?" "Can't complain." "We got a house in Oyster Bay, you know." "Market treating you good?" "Still seeing that sexy French chick?" "No, no." "She asked the wrong question." " What was that?" " "What are you thinking?"" "The hours are hell... but the cash is starting to tumble in." "I know this guy who has an ironclad way of making money." " I can't lose and I can't get hurt." " Can't get hurt?" "Well, so does this guy have a tip for an honest lawyer?" "Maybe." "Check out Teldar Paper." "But don't quote me." "What about you?" "I hear you guys are handling the Fairchild Foods merger... and it may not be going through." "Any surprises I haven't read about in the Wall Street Journal?" "Come on, Buddy." "That's illegal." "You wouldn't wanna get me disbarred, would you?" "Well, who's listening?" "Just one college buddy talking to another." "Yeah, right." "Oh, relax, Roger." "Everybody's doing it." "But if you don't know, then you don't know." "And if I did, what's in it for moi?" "More money than you ever dreamed of." "Nobody gets hurt." "You think about it." "Let's grab a beer." "What do you say?" "Uh, no." "Too much to do." "I— But I'll walk you out." "File's on the desk, Marie." "Get inside my uncle's door, Bud, all the secrets of the world are yours." "The lifeblood of companies." "Of course, you've gotta go to law school first, but—" "Mr. Panos, I've been charting the growth of new office space in the city... and I happen to think you're in the right business at the right time." "Thank you for telling me what I already know." "Look, I'm very impressed with your work in this growing business." "I can use a tax break." "Let me ask you something." "What would you say to some working capital and a partner?" " What makes you think I need a partner?" " Look, you got five vans." "You need eight. 42 employees can't possibly cover the amount of buildings you already got... not to mention the clients you and I could have together." "I'm an expert at identifying undervalued assets such as this business." "Well, the good news, Gordon, is Roarker Electronics." "That's right." "I see it happening sometime in the next couple of months." "You gotta be kidding." "Their quarterlies are for shit." "I've got a little gift for you." "Gordon will be very pleased." "What else have you got?" "You know Marty Windman?" "He netted 650 "G" off that merger." " Twenty-six years old." "The guy's Rambo." " The guy's an asshole." "The guy is Rambo." "He's got himself a Porsche Turbo Cabriolet, about 75 thou." "I think that if I can make a bundle of cash before I'm 30 and get out of this racket..." "I'll be able to ride my motorcycle across China." "I'd like to do for furniture what Laura Ashley did for interior fabrics— produce a line of high-quality antiques at a low price." " Sounds great." "I'll take you public." " You will?" "Can I help you?" "Oh, excuse me." "Is this Bill Bates' office?" " No." " I'm sorry." " Hiya, Dad." " What brings you out here?" "A client and a private jet over at Butler." " Hey, Buddy, how you doing?" " Mr. Wall Street." "Hey." "It's the bozos that keep us in the air." " Give us a hand." " We'll show you how to do an honest day's work." "All right." "Change the oil, fill the tires and park it out back." " This kid want to buy the plane?" " Mind this guy." " How come you always gotta light up when you see me?" " Hey, don't start with me." " All right?" " All right." "Who peed in your Cheerios?" "Goddamn fare wars are killing us." "Management's gonna lay off five of my men this week." " There's nothing I can do about it." " I'm sorry about that." "So, what's with you?" "How much you need?" "I don't need anything." "I'm doing great." "New client, whole new ball game." "Things are really starting to happen." "Yeah, sure." "Lots of guys at the track talk like that." "How do you know you'll have any dough next month?" "Jesus Christ!" "What is this?" "I only gave you a few hundred." "It's dividend." "I figured I'd borrowed at least five grand in pocket change over the years." "Oh, stop it." "Come on." "Put this toward your school loan." "Oh, forget the loans." "Look, Dad, things are good... and it's gonna stay that way." " Buy yourself a new suit." " What do I need a new suit for?" "I don't hobnob with the jet set." "I just fix their planes." "Well, then get yourself a decent bowling jacket... so when you take Mom out you don't look like the Roto-Rooter man." "Come on, Dad." "What's money for?" "Enjoy yourself." "Money is one giant pain in the ass, if you ask me." "But thanks, kid." " How about dinner?" " Yeah, sure." "Any night this week." "Okay— No, I'm sorry, this week's booked." "I'll check with my girl." "I'll get back to you." "Yeah, you do that, Huckleberry." "You know where to find me." "I gotta run, Dad." "You stop smoking, you hear?" "I'll talk at you." "Oh!" "Oh, oh, oh!" "It's in both our interests to put a safe distance between you and us." " Now, you understand that, Mr. Fox?" " Sure." "This gives you limited power of attorney for Mr. Gekko's account." "Every trade you make is at your discretion." "Every ticket you buy must be marked "power of attorney."" "That means that you call the shots." "Mr. Gekko has absolutely no official knowledge of what stocks you're buying." "All right?" "Just sign it at the end twice." "I never knew how poor I was till I started making a little money." "Your transactions will be monitored by StockWatch." "If any trouble does arise, you are on your own out there." "The trail does stop with you." "You understand?" "Spread the buy orders over different accounts, you won't get burnt." "I think I have some friends that won't mind making some easy money." " Daddy." " Rudy Kazootee!" "How's my cutie?" "Viens ici." "Oh, yeah!" "Yeah!" "Yeah!" " Bonjour, monsieur Buddy." " Bonjour, monsieur Buddy." "Oh, he speaks French already." "Kid had the highest score on his I.Q. test." "It is so difficult to get into a good nursery school now." "You gotta buy Teldar with a third party." "They visit your home just to make sure you're acceptable." "That's it for you with the grown-ups, young man." "Nicole, would you take him for a nap now, please." "Give him a bath, and put that cute black suit on him." "This is a contact at one of our offshore banks." "On settlement day, you'll open an account there for Mr. Gekko... under the name Geneva, Roth Holding Corp." "Then you'll wire transfer the money to this account in the Cayman Islands." "You're gonna make a lot of money, pal." "The stakes are going up." "No mistakes." "Piece of cake, Gordon." "If I could have anything, this would almost do." "Almost." "So how'd your conference go with Gordon?" "It went fine." "Reached an agreement." "We decided to split up the world between us." "You have modest wants." "I like that in a man." "What do you want?" "Let's see." "A Turner... a perfect Canary diamond... world peace, the best of everything." " Oh, why stop at that?" " I don't." "My client wants to buy a large, large block of Teldar." "And he needs to spread it around." "I'll park some money in your account." "If it hits, you get a big cut." "I'm telling you, this is the easiest money you've ever made." "All right, Bud." "Let's do it." "We go way back, Harry." "You know, I-I've put a lot of money into this firm over the years... and I've brought in a lot of business." "You've taken enough out too." "You know that." " You should have something put aside." " Well, I don't." "With the divorces and everything, I haven't had a chance." "And the kids—" " The bridges are burned." " When you fire me, I'm finished, Harry..." " finished on the street." " How do you think I feel about this?" "How do you think I feel?" "I've got a lot of responsibilities." " What's going on?" " Lynch is giving him the boot." "He's not pulling his quota." "We're all just one trade away from humility, Bud." "Research report on G.M. and a conference call on defense stock... in my office, 7:00 a.m. tomorrow." "No R.S.V.P. required." "Just be there!" "Now, on a more inspiring note, I am pleased to announce the new office record... for a single month's gross commission... from the wealthy individual accounts goes to Bud Fox." "Shows cold-calling does work, fellas." "Way to go, Bud." "Super job!" " Come on up here." " Bud, congrats." "You just made my life twice as hard around here." "You're on a roll, kid." "Enjoy it while it lasts, 'cause it never does." "Just kicking ass and taking names, Lou." "Come along with me, Bud." "This is yours now, Bud." "Credenza, tree, windows... and significantly more attractive, your private secretary Janet." " Nice to meet you, Mr. Fox." " Hello, Janet." "Well, I don't really know what to say." " Thank you." "Thank you, Mr. Lynch." " No, I thank you, Bud." "The minute I laid my eyes on you, I knew that you had what it takes." "Now you can focus on the big-ticket retail." "Oh, this is very nice." "This is very nice." "So, what's it, Mr. Cocksucker now?" "Everybody tells you they hate the Upper East Side." "They wanna live on the West Side." "But believe me, when it's resale time, the East Side moves all the time." "What do you got on the West Side?" "Sean and Madonna?" "Trust me." "Massage, sauna, Jacuzzi, tanning salon... best schools in the city." "You know, a cute young boy like you... got to think of a future lady friend in your life... when you're finished wolfing around." "Of course, I'm taken." "Oak-stripped floors." "My husband could get you a 10% mortgage." "I would do it myself, except I'm into four other deals right now." "So, I got a 4:00 and a 5:00." "One of them's an all-cash type, Monique something or other." "Look, maybe you'd like to see something cheaper I got over on First Avenue." "Honey, the meter's running." "Anybody home?" "All right, offer 950." "You know, I got something over on Sutton Place." "It's a million and a half, but now we're talking duplex." "No." "This is it." "This is home." "That's enough gold." "That's enough gold over there." "You like it?" "I'm having House  Garden come up next week to photograph it... before it gets lived in." "Do you mind?" "Hey, Gary, what do you got?" "No, no— 37 and a half." "Convert the bonds and check the price from Tokyo at 8:00 your time." "Right." "Mmm." "Damn." "I'm spilling everything." "Isn't it perfect?" "It's too perfect." "Let's not even eat." "Let's just watch it, think about it." "Who am I?" "Bud, come to bed." "One million, six." "1,700,000 on my left now." "Against you, 1,800,000." "1,900,000." "New bidder this side." "One million, nine." "Two million dollars here now." "Not yours." "At 2,100,000." "2,100,000." "Fair warning then." "Selling for $2,100,000." "All done." "For you, sir." "2,100,000." "What do you say we get a suite at the Carlyle?" "Champagne, caviar, celebrate just like old times." "Come on, Gordon." "Those days are over." "Well, you can't blame me for trying." "You're as beautiful as that painting I just bought." "Sunshine, what's wrong?" "Looks like you got a bad case of puppy love." "I think I'm falling for Bud." "Don't fall too far." "He hasn't been around the block yet." "You have." " You told him about us?" " No." "Are you crazy?" "I don't want him to ever know." "Do you understand?" "Mum's the word." "You and I are the same, Darien." "We are smart enough not to buy into the oldest myth running— love." "A fiction created by people to keep them from jumping out of windows." "You know, sometimes I miss you, Gordon." "You're really twisted." "Oh, for Christ's sake, Jack, it's easy." "On settlement day, you endorse a check... to Blue Horseshoe Trading Company, and then I'll send you your cut." "What?" "No, that's the bottom line." "Nobody gets hurt." "What the fuck is wrong with you?" "Things are so bad around here, even the lions are complaining." "But not with you." "No-o-o." " You're making big money." "What's the bottom line?" " Hey, look!" "I am sick and tired of playing wet nurse to you all the time!" "Will you do your own homework, Marv?" "What an asshole, man!" "That's a shame." "Frank, work 500,000 shares Teldar with a limit of 26." "New account." "Don't fuck it up." " How's Teldar doing?" " You back again?" " The guy's got a real appetite." " Make it five to a half." " About a couple of thousand up." " I gotta buy some stock." " What do you offer at a half?" " What are we looking at?" " Excuse me." "Excuse me." " Make me an offer." " 80,000 at a half." " I'll take it." "80,000 trades at a half." "Put it on the tape, a couple of thousand up." "Mark, I think I got something here." "Your company, ladies and gentlemen, is under siege from Gordon Gekko!" "Teldar Paper is now leveraged to the hilt... like some piss-poor South American country." "I strongly recommend you... to see through Mr. Gekko's shameless intention here... to strip this company and severely penalize the stockholders." "I strongly recommend you to reject his tender... by voting for management's restructuring of the stock." "My thanks." "Well, I, uh— I appreciate the opportunity you're giving me, Mr. Cromwell... as the single largest shareholder in Teldar Paper to speak." "Well, ladies and gentlemen... we're not here to indulge in fantasy... but in political and economic reality." "America—" "America has become a second-rate power." "Its trade deficit and its fiscal deficit... are at nightmare proportions." "Now, in the days of the free market... when our country was a top industrial power... there was accountability to the stockholder." "The Carnegies, the Mellons, the men that built this great industrial empire... made sure of it because it was their money at stake." "Today, management has no stake in the company!" "Altogether, these men sitting up here... own less than three percent of the company." "Where does Mr. Cromwell put his million-dollar salary?" "Not in Teldar stock." "He owns less than one percent." "You own the company." "That's right." "You, the stockholder." "And you are all being royally screwed over by these bureaucrats... with their steak luncheons, their hunting and fishing trips... their corporate jets and golden parachutes." "This is an outrage!" "You're out of line, Gekko!" "Teldar Paper, Mr. Cromwell—" "Teldar Paper has 33 different vice presidents... each earning over $200,000 a year." "Now I've spent the last two months... analyzing what all these guys do." "And I still can't figure it out." "One thing I do know is that our paper company lost $110 million last year." "I'll bet half of that was spent in all the paperwork... going back and forth between all these vice presidents." "The new law of evolution in corporate America... seems to be survival of the unfittest." "Well, in my book, you either do it right, or you get eliminated." "In the last seven deals that I have been involved with... there were 2.5 million stockholders... who have made a pretax profit of $12 billion." "Thank you." "I am not a destroyer of companies." "I am a liberator of them!" "The point is, ladies and gentlemen... that greed— for lack of a better word— is good." "Greed is right." "Greed works." "Greed clarifies, cuts through... and captures the essence... of the evolutionary spirit." "Greed, in all of its forms— greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge— has marked the upward surge of mankind." "And greed— you mark my words— will not only save Teldar Paper... but that other malfunctioning corporation called the U.S.A." "Thank you very much." "Great!" "Great!" "Thank you." "Thank you!" "Buy me 20 June Eurodollar CDs, 20 March Gold... and sell 10 September deutsche marks." "Right." "Talk at you, babe." "Buddy!" "Buddy!" "I hate to tell you this, but you are a genius." "Darien, lightning has struck." "The lightbulb has been invented." "Bluestar Airlines." "Edison, da Vinci, Einstein, they're all watching me." "You ever hear of the 60-hour workweek?" "You've gotta go to work in a couple of hours... and I'm getting psychotic from a lack of REM sleep." "You think I'm gonna broker the rest of my life?" "Come on, Darien." "I am gonna be a giant, an entrepreneur... in the Italian 16th century sense of the word." "A mover." "A shaker." "I'm shooting for the stars, Darien." "You're coming along for the ride." "Bluestar's an unpolished gem, Gordon, right out of the garbage." "A half-assed management being decimated by a price war they cannot win." "But the gates at La Guardia alone can bail us out." "If it's worth a dime, it's worth 10 bucks a share." "They're ripe to fall." "Mixed emotions, Buddy... like Larry Wildman going off a cliff in my new Maserati." "Guys like me have had their asses hung in a sling with the airlines." "Fuel could go up, unions are killers." "Yeah, yeah." "But aren't you forgetting one thing?" "Capital reserves." "This company has $75 million cash in an overfunded pension." "That buys us a lot of credibility." "And the beauty is you already own close to two percent of this sucker." "The insurance people are balking on the logging trucks." "What do you want to do?" "You tell those spineless assholes we'll self-insure if they don't write it." "I can't believe it!" "You fire half the management and nothing changes!" "Gordon, what I want— and I've never asked you for anything— is to be your copilot on this one." "I want to take this airline, turn it around, and make it work." "It's gonna make us a fortune." "I got a stockbroker that wants to run an airline." "It's gonna take me two years and 2,000 headaches to turn Teldar Paper around." "What the hell do I need a dink airline for?" "I'm up to my ass in nuts." "I've worked at Bluestar, Gordon." "I know my way around." "I have friends there inside." "What do you mean?" "The three unions." "It's 43% of Bluestar's operating budget." "The hourly cost of a flight crew is $850 an hour." "That's the real hidden value, G.G." "If you can negotiate that out, get a crew down to $350, $400 an hour... this airline is gonna be the hottest thing since Texas Air." "What makes you think you can?" "I can talk to these people, Gordon." "They trust me." "My father could be a big help in getting cuts." "All right." "Susan, get Buckingham on the phone." "Tell him to look into it." "So the falcon's heard the falconer, huh?" " Hi, Dad." " Hello, Son." "Sorry I'm late." "It's okay." "Overdressed as usual." "Well, come on in." "Everybody's here." "We couldn't start the show without you." "Well, I'll be a lousy Republican." "I decorate for Democrats too, lots of them." " I'm Darien Taylor." " Oh, hi." " Bud's told me all about you." " Well, don't believe a word he said." "I never beat him and I never locked him in a closet." " I forgot to tell you about the closet." " I think he turned out okay." "Bud's a born liar." "Otherwise, he's a good kid." "I hope you come here more often under less formal circumstances." " Thank you." " Dad, I think you know Duncan Wilmore." "Since before you were born." "How are you, Duncan?" " Toni Carpenter, flight attendants." " Carl, how are you?" "And I'd like you to meet Mr. Gekko." " Mr. Fox." "Pleasure to meet you." " Hi." "His attorney, Mr. Saul." "I'd be proud to have a son like Buddy." "He's got a hell of a career in front of him." "I'm glad you think so." "I thought this was an informal gathering." "What's your attorney doing here?" "Harold, you don't mind walking around the block a couple hundred times, do you?" " Of course." " Let me take that." " Thank you." " No offense." "None taken." "That's okay, Gordon." "Bud does it all the time." "Look, I got no illusions about winning... a popularity contest with any of you." "I got roasted the other night." "A friend of mine asked, "Why are we honoring this man?" "Have we run out of human beings?"" "I mean, it's not always the most popular guy who gets the job done." "You got losses of $20 to $30 million, dividends cut to zero... and you're being squeezed to death by the majors." "Now, present management may not be the worst scum of the earth... but they're the guys that put you on this kamikaze course." "And pretty soon, everybody is gonna be scrambling for parachutes... only there's not enough to go around." "Management has them." "You don't." "Now, if they throw Bluestar to Chapter 11, which I think they will... they're gonna use the bankruptcy laws to break your unions... your contracts, and throw you guys off the property." "Come on." "With all due respect, Mr. Gekko... what's to prevent you from doing the same damn thing?" "'Cause I got a way around all this... a way we can all make money and make the airline profitable." "So what do you say we cut to the chase?" "I'm asking for a modest 20% across-the-board wage cut... and seven more hours a month." "What kind of time frame are you talking about here?" "Give me a year." "If we're still losing money, the reduction stands." "If we're in the black, I'll return part of the givebacks... salaries go back to their present level... and we initiate an employee profit-sharing program... with stock." "You can own part of the airline." "Are you prepared to put that in writing?" "I'll have a letter of agreement drafted up within two days." "What's your marketing strategy?" "How do you intend to return us to profitability?" "Why don't I give Buddy an opportunity to answer that." "Buddy." "Thank you, Gordon." "First of all, I want you all to know my door will always be open to you... because I know from my dad that it's you guys that keep Bluestar flying." "Now what I've come up with here is a basic three-point plan, all right?" "One— We modernize." "Our computer software is dog shit." "We update it." "We squeeze every dollar out of each seat and mile flown." "You don't sell a seat to a guy for 79 bucks when he's willing to pay 379." "Effective inventory management through computerization... will increase our load factor by 5% to 20%." "That translates to approximately $50 to $200 million in revenues." "The point being, we can beat the majors at a price war." "Two— Advertising, very important." "More, more, and aggressive." "We attack the majors!" "Three— Expansion." "We expand our hubs to Atlanta, North Carolina and St. Louis." "And we reorganize all of our feeder schedules." "We gotta think big, guys." "We're going after the majors." "Well, cards are on the table, guys." "What do you say?" "Well, if you mean what you say..." "I think we're probably in the ballpark." "I guess I can take it to my people." " Good." " You've sketched some broad strokes." "I would like to see the fine print... but I like what I hear so far." "Well, I guess if a man lives long enough, he gets to see everything." "And I do mean everything." "What else you got in your bag of tricks, Mr. Gekko?" "Frankly, Carl..." "I can't see giving much more, but if you have any suggestions..." "I'll be very happy to listen." ""There came into Egypt a pharaoh who did not know."" " I beg your pardon." "Is that a proverb?" " No." "A prophecy." "The rich have been doing it to the poor since the beginning of time." "The only difference between the pyramids and the Empire State Building... is the Egyptians didn't allow unions." "I know what this guy's all about— greed." "He don't give a damn about Bluestar or the unions." "He's in and out for the buck, and he don't take prisoners." " Now, wait just a minute, Dad." " Well, sure." "Now what's worth doing is worth doing for money." "It's a bad bargain if nobody gains." "And if we do this deal, everybody gains." "Course, my son did work as a baggage handler... and freight loader for three summers." "With those qualifications, why should we doubt his ability to run an airline?" "Fine." "You don't want us, stay with the scum in present management... dedicated to running you and your airline into the ground." "That scum built the company up with one plane in 30 years... and made something out of nothing." "If that's a scum, I'll take it over a rat any day." "You know where I stand." "Good night, all." "Excuse me." "Well, congratulations, Dad." "You just did a great job of embarrassing me in there, not to mention yourself!" "Save the "workers of the world unite" speech for next time." " I heard it too much growing up!" " Oh, yeah?" "Yeah!" "You are gonna get axed, Dad, no two ways about it." "You and the whole shitty airline are going down the tubes just like Braniff." "If it isn't Gekko, it's gonna be some other killer!" "He's using you, kid." "He's got your prick in his back pocket, but you're too blind to see it." "No." "What I see is a jealous old machinist... who can't stand the fact that his son's become more successful than he has." "What you see is a guy who never measured a man's success... by the size of his wallet!" "That's because you never had the guts to go out into the world and stake your own claim!" "Boy, if that's the way you feel, I must have done a really lousy job as a father." "As far as being axed, I'm still around." "And as long as I am, I have a responsibility to the union membership I represent." "Your responsibility is to present the facts, not your opinions to your men." "You're gonna destroy their lives." "Let the membership decide for themselves." "When my men come to me tomorrow morning wanting to know what the hell's going on..." "I'll be damned if I'm gonna lie to them!" "Oh, yeah, your men!" "Your fucking men!" "All my life, your men have been able to count on you!" "Why is it you've never been there for me, huh?" "And so what if you're wrong?" "What if one day the sun didn't rise in the east, the birds didn't fly south for the winter... and for once, your compass was off?" "Would you be willing to wreck your men's future, my future?" "Dad, think for a change!" "Be practical!" "I'm asking you." "I'm fucking begging you." "I don't go to sleep with no whore, and I don't wake up with no whore." "That's how I live with myself." "I don't know how you do it." "I hope I'm wrong about this guy... but I'll let the men decide for themselves." "That much I promise you." "Think you should have a look at this, chief." "Looks like we got a guy at Jackson-Steinem... buying large chunks of Teldar Paper for an offshore account." "Come on in." "So, what's the problema?" " Do you know what the fuck the problem is?" " What?" " You don't know?" " I don't know." "Well, shit." "I get a strange call from the S.E.C." "They asked to see my records." "This is heavy, Bud." " Relax, Roget." " Yeah, relax." "You're 82-M in the account numbers, and I'm the invisible man." "That's good for you, Bud." "They're always looking for red flags." "Gekko's always getting checked by 'em." "They never come up with anything, Rog." "Hey." "We're invulnerable on this one." "Listen." "I just want to slow down, Bud." "All right?" "No more lunches, no calls, all right?" "We suspend our business, all right?" " Whatever you want, Rog." "It's cool." " Yeah, it's cool." "Excuse me." "Hey, Rog." "Can you come on back in?" "Bring the cost report." " They're starting again." " All right." "Yeah." "Gekko's asked us into the Bluestar deal." "We're reviewing timetables." " You want to come?" " He didn't tell me about that." "You're only the president of the company." "What the hell do you know anyway, right?" " Guys, new chief of Bluestar, Bud Fox." " Yeah, hi." " Hello, Bud." " Look, guys, what's the problem?" "It's time to kill." "Gekko's got 12% of the stock and climbing." "Plus, he's got the unions in his back pocket." "And everybody knows that the stock's in play." "By next week, the street's gonna own Bluestar." "Is the bank financing in place... or are we gonna sit around and have more and more of these ridiculous meetings?" "Our firm committed weeks ago 25% of the total long-term debt structure... and unless you guys sign this piece of paper right now..." "I'm gonna pull and go to another bank for the 75." " Look, we've got 30 banks ready to participate..." " Thirty banks?" " in a four-year revolving credit line." " Isn't that wonderful?" "But we must have your assurance that you will pay back... most of the loan in the first 12 months." "And the only way we can see this happening... is liquidating the hangars and the planes." "Can you people guarantee the liquidation of Bluestar?" "Guarantee?" "No sweat!" "We got the Bleezburg brothers... lined up to build condos where the hangars are." "You lay the airplanes off to the Mexicans who are dumb enough to buy 'em." "And I got the Texas boys drooling at my kneecaps for the routes and slots." "What's your problem?" "It's done." "These are the price tags on the 737s, gates, hangars, routes." "We got it nailed right down to the typewriters." "The beauty of this deal is the overfunded pension." "Gekko makes $75 million there." "Fifty million buys him the minimum annuities for 6,000 employees... and he walks away with the rest." "I figure he'll make 60— He'll clear $60, $70 million." "Not bad for a month's work." "Your boy really did his homework, Fox." "And you'll have the shortest executive career... since that pope that got poisoned." "And now he'll really start believing he's Gekko the Great." " Yes, he'd like to change that appointment." " Hold this." "Bud, you can't go in there." "He's in a meeting!" "Alex has come up with a really ingenious way for us to—" "I didn't know we had a meeting scheduled today, sport." "I didn't either." "I think we should talk, Gordon." "Would you gentlemen excuse us for a second, please?" "Won't you come this way, gentlemen?" "Thank you, Alex." " What the hell do you want?" " I just found out about the garage sale at Bluestar." "Why?" "Last night I was reading Rudy the story of Winnie the Pooh and the honey pot." "You know what happened?" "He stuck his nose in the pot once too often... and he got stuck." "Maybe you oughta read him Pinocchio, Gordon." "I thought that you were gonna turn Bluestar around, not upside down." " You fuckin' used me!" " You're walking around blind without a cane, pal." "A fool and his money are lucky enough to get together in the first place." "But why do you need to wreck this company?" "Because it's wreckable!" "All right?" "I took another look at it and I changed my mind." "If these people lose their jobs, they got nowhere to go." "My father has worked there for 24 years." "I gave him my word!" "It's all about bucks, kid." "The rest is conversation." "Hey, Buddy, you're still gonna be president, all right?" "And when the time comes, you're gonna parachute out a rich man." "With the money you're gonna make... your dad's never gonna have to work another day in his life." "So tell me, Gordon, when does it all end?" "How many yachts can you water-ski behind?" "How much is enough?" "It's not a question of enough, pal." "It's a zero-sum game." "Somebody wins, somebody loses." "Money itself isn't lost or made... it's simply, uh, transferred from one perception to another... like magic." "This painting here, I bought it 10 years ago for $60,000." "I could sell it today for 600." "The illusion has become real." "And the more real it becomes... the more desperate they want it." "Capitalism at its finest." "How much is enough, Gordon?" "The richest one percent of this country owns half our country's wealth... five trillion dollars." "One-third of that comes from hard work... two-thirds comes from an inheritance— interest on interest accumulating to widows and idiot sons— and what I do— stock and real estate speculation." "It's bullshit." "You got 90% of the American public out there with little or no net worth." "I create nothing." "I own." "We make the rules, pal." "The news, war, peace, famine, upheaval... the price of a paper clip." "We pick that rabbit out of the hat while everybody sits there wondering how we did it." "You're not naïve enough to think we're living in a democracy, are you, Buddy?" "It's the free market." "And you're part of it." "Yeah, you got that killer instinct." "Stick around, pal." " I still got a lot to teach you." " Obviously." "Buddy, come on." "I was gonna tell you about it, all right?" "Calm down." "We'll go up to the apartment tonight, have a little dinner." " You bring Darien." " No, I— I can't make it tonight." "Hey, Buddy... are you with me?" "I need to know if you're with me." "I'm with you, Gordon." " Natalie, I'll be right there." " Yes, Mr. Gekko." " Yeah." " Yeah, Ollie." "You tell them I want ziplocked mouths on the Bluestar deal... or I'm personally gonna come down there and rip out their fuckin' throats." "Bud?" "What's going on?" "I've been played like a grand piano... by the master, Gekko the Great." "And today was the big crash." "Liquidation sale." "He's gonna carve Bluestar into little pieces and sell it all off." "Bastard." "I'm sorry." "I was afraid something like this could happen." "I handed it to him on a silver platter." " I told my father, I told those people—" " Bud." "Bud, it's not your fault, and it's not your decision." "I'm not gonna let it happen." "Don't cross Gordon." "He'll crush you." "If Gordon doesn't buy Bluestar, someone else will... and who's to say they won't do the same thing?" "At least I won't be pulling the trigger." "Why are you doing this?" "You've worked hard to get where you are." "We're so close." "You don't want to throw it all away." "Look, I can stay with the firm, and you're doing fine." "We can survive without Gordon Gekko." "I'm not looking to just survive." "I've been doing that all my life." "Cut this self-pity crap, Bud." "What the hell's that supposed to mean?" "It means if you make an enemy of Gordon Gekko..." "I can't be there to stand by you." " Oh, yeah?" "Do you really mean that?" " Yeah." "What did he promise you?" "Take you public?" "I guess without Gordon's money and seal of approval..." "I'm not such a hot investment anymore, huh?" "You're just the best money can buy, Darien." "You're not exactly pure, Bud." "You went after Gekko with the same vengeance you went after me." " Look in the mirror—" " I'm looking... and I sure don't like what I see." "Fair enough, but it's not that simple, Bud." "When I was down and had nothing, it was Gordon who helped me." "He got me all my clients, you among them." "He can take them away from me like that." "You may find out one day that when you've had money and lost it... it's much worse than never having had it at all." "Oh, yeah?" "Well, that is bullshit!" "Hey!" "Hey!" "You step out that door, and I am changing the locks!" "You may not believe this, Bud... but I really do care for you." "We would have made a good team." "I'm sorry." "Get the fuck out of here." "The market is dead right now." "Even the rich are bitchin'." "Only thing that's moving is the Puerto Ricans and the cockroaches." "And with the high commission that I get—" "Save the rap." "Just sell the fucker fast." "There he is." "Buddy, where you been the last two days?" "Get my father on the phone and the other two union reps." "Your mom's been calling, Bud." "Your father, he's, um—" " What happened?" " He had a heart attack, but he's all right." " He's at St. John's." " Oh, Christ." "Mom, how is he?" " He was complaining about chest pains at work." " Buddy." "And the next thing they know, he's collapsed." "You got to talk to him." "He's a tough old nut, your dad." "He's got another 20 years." " He's gonna be fine, Buddy." " Is he conscious?" "Hiya, Dad." "You're looking younger every day." "Didn't I tell you never to lift a 747 by yourself?" "You even got me smoking now." "It's your second heart attack, Dad." "You're pushing your luck." "I hope you know that." "I guess I never told you... but I love you, Dad." "I love you so much." "I'm sorry about the things I said." "You're the only honest man I know— the best." "I got a plan, Dad." "I can save the airline." "I know you got no reason to believe me, but you have to trust me, okay?" "I need to speak to the union members." "Can I speak for you?" "Your words, not mine." "Okay." "Thank you." "I gotta go." "I'm proud of you." "Thanks." "The stock's at 19 and a quarter and it's going up." "Gekko figures by breaking up Bluestar, it's worth at least 30 bucks a share." "He'll buy up to 24 and still think he's making money." "How do you know it's gonna go up?" "I don't think you wanna know any more than that, Duncan." "Let's say I have some friends." "Okay." "What happens now?" "When it hits 23, you guys go to Gekko and you lower the boom." "When he learns he has no union concessions, he'll jump ship and sell everything." "But who's gonna buy then, and what's to prevent some other shark... from devouring us?" "We have an appointment to see Mr. Wildman." "Sir Lawrence— or can I call you Larry?" "What would you say to owning Bluestar Airlines... with union concessions at $18 a share... and in the process hanging Gordon Gekko out in the wind to twist?" "I might be very interested." "Why you, mate?" "What's a bloke like you doing mixed up with Gekko?" "Let's just say that me and Mr. Gekko... have a serious conflict of interest." "We all want to see this airline work." "These figures show that it can." "You're prepared to take these large salary cuts?" "We are, but we want a contract agreement that's ironclad." "So if you buy it, you can't break it up." "I'm still listening." " Hi." " Oh, hi." "Say, why don't you get the hell out of my office." "Marv, I know I've been a schmuck lately, and I just want to apologize." "You've been a real schmuck lately." "Go thou and sin no more." "I want to make it up to you." "Bluestar." "Put all your clients in it." "Okay, Buddy, Buddy." "We are back in business on Bluestar." " Hi." " Bluestar, Mr. Mannheim." "Put all your clients in it." "It's gonna move." "I don't know where you get your information, son... but I don't like it." "The main thing about money, Bud... it makes you do things you don't wanna do." "Marty, I need a favor." "It's a quick scalp for you." "200,000 shares Bluestar at 19 and a half." "Can you position it in one of your equity funds?" " The Chronicle's on seven." " Hold, Marty." "Listen, Blue Horseshoe loves Bluestar Airlines." "Got it?" " Got it." " Right." "Marty, you still there?" "Bluestar's in play." "Let's check it out." " Nineteen and a quarter at three-eighths." " 10,000." "Sell you 10,000 at three-eighths." "I love it." "I do love it so." "Gordon, I see it at 21 and five-eighths." "I don't know what to make of it." "The word is out, pal." "Your union buddies are talking." "You get me in at a 45-degree angle." "I mean, all the way in." "You slash and burn." "Buy everything in sight up to 22." "Then call me." "When I get the son of a bitch who leaked this..." "I'm gonna tear his eyeballs out, I'm gonna suck his fuckin' skull." " Stock's going to Pluto, man." " Start unloading." " Sell?" " Dump it now." "Dump it all." " Where's Lou?" " Right over there." "Ken." "Ken, Marv at Jackson-Steinem." "We gotta dump this baby." "Take the money and run on B.S.T. We're getting out now." "It's gotta be a big hitter." "There's a batch of people from Bluestar Airlines demanding to see you." " What the hell do they want?" " I'd be happy to tell you." "We know what you're up to, Gekko." "And let me tell you this from right here." "You can go straight to hell." "No way you're gonna break up our airline." "If that's my plans, that's the first I've heard of it." "Would you care to put that in writing?" "I'd like to remind you we have an agreement, which I expect you to honor." "Well, in that case, you better hope to have your pilot's license." "Don't worry, Gekko." "We won't let the engines fall out of the planes." "Those flight reservation systems can get awfully screwed up if we're not paying attention." "A lot of the baggage headed for St. Petersburg could easily wind up in Pittsburgh." "Look!" "All right?" "Somebody else wants to buy your airline." "You wanna be Pac-Man and get gobbled up by Attila the Hun, you be my guest!" "We'll take our chances." "Nice to see you, Gekko." "Fox says Bluestar just hit 23." "What do you want him to do?" "Sell it all." "What the hell?" "So we only make 10 million." "Sell it." "Yes, all of it." "10,000 at seven-eighths." "Sold!" "Sold!" "Break!" "Break!" "Break!" "For Christ's sake!" "Can't get a goddamn connection here!" "Bob, Marv at Jackson-Steinem." "In big trouble on B.S.T. You gotta get out now." " Another 30,000 out!" " Gekko is on the ropes." "He's trying to sell but there's not many takers." "The stock is plummeting." "Well then, I guess I'll have to carry him a few rounds before he drops." "Don't make a big deal of it." "Buy it lightly on the way down." "When it hits 18, buy it all." "Piece of cake, Larry." " 10,000 at 18." " 10,000 at 18." "Hold it!" "What is offered at 18?" "300,000!" "300,000 at 18." " 18 for 500,000." " Sold!" "Sold!" " I'll sell you 50!" " I take it." " There's got to be a way out of this, Gordon." " Sure." "Why don't you dial 911?" " Fox is on four." " Hey, Fox, where the hell are you?" "I am losing millions." "You got me into this airline." "You sure as hell better get me out... or the only job you're ever gonna have on this street is sweeping it." "You hear me, Fox?" "You once told me don't get emotional about stock, Gordon." "Don't." "The bid is 16 and a half and going down." "As your broker, I advise you to take it." "Yeah?" "Well, you take it... right in the ass, you fuckin' scumbag cocksucker!" "It's two minutes to close, Gordon." "What do you want to do?" "Decide." "Dump it." "The big Wall Street story today... was the roller coaster ride of Bluestar Airlines." "Fueled by takeover rumors, the stock soared... to an all-time high of 24 and an eighth." "Then when contradictory rumors later surfaced that the takeover was unfounded... buyers went running for cover and the stock plummeted on gigantic volume... to as low as 16 and a half before closing at 17." "But then tonight amidst all the scuttlebutt, another rumble shook the street." "According to many sources, raider Sir Lawrence Wildman has stepped in... and bought a substantial block of Bluestar... and is going to announce a deal tomorrow at 18... that includes the support of the unions." "This reporter talked today with a leading stock market technical analyst... in order to better understand the ramifications—" "Son of a bitch!" "Smile, Carolyn." "There's justice in the world." "Good morning, folks." "What?" "Did somebody die?" "Yeah." " Good morning, Chuckie." "Good morning, Lou." " Bud." "Bud, I like you." "Just remember something." "Man looks in the abyss." "There's nothing staring back at him." "At that moment, man finds his character... and that is what keeps him out of the abyss." "I think I understand, Lou." "Janet, get my father, will you?" "He just came in." "I'll call you back." "I guess you're not here to open an I.R.A." "Mr. Fox, I'm Henry Patterson with the Postal Inspection Service." "This is Mr. Ebanhopper from the U.S. Attorney's office..." "Evan Morrissey from the Securities and Exchange enforcement office." "You're under arrest, Mr. Fox... for conspiracy to commit securities fraud... and for violating the Insider Trader's Sanction Act." "The minute I laid eyes on you, I knew you were no good." "You have the right to remain silent and refuse to answer questions." "Do you understand?" "Anything you do say may be used against you." "You have the right to consult an attorney before speaking to the police... and to have an attorney present during any questioning now or in the future." "So long, Carolyn." " Hiya, Buddy." " Gordon." "You sandbagged me on Bluestar, huh?" "I guess you think you taught the teacher a lesson— that the tail can wag the dog, huh?" "Well, let me clue you in, pal." "The ice is melting right underneath your feet." "You think you could have got this far this fast with anybody else, huh?" "You think you'd be dicking someone like Darien?" "No." "You'd be cold-calling widows and dentists to buy 20 shares of some fuckin' dog shit stock." "I took you in." "A nobody!" "I opened the doors for you." "I showed you how the system works... the value of information, how to get it!" "Fulham Oil, Brant Resources, Geo Dynamics." "And this is how you fucking pay me back, you cockroach!" "I gave you Darien!" "I gave you your manhood." "I gave you everything!" "You could have been one of the great ones, Buddy." "I look at you..." "and I see myself." "Why?" "I don't know." "I guess I realized that I'm just Bud Fox." "As much as I wanted to be Gordon Gekko..." "I'll always be Bud Fox." "I showed you how the system works... the value of information, how to get it!" "Fulham Oil, Brant Resources—" "You did the right thing, Bud." "You told the truth and gave the money back." "All things considered in this cockamamie world, you're shooting par." "You helped save the airline." "And the airline people are gonna remember you for it." "That's right." "If I were you, I'd think about the job... at Bluestar that Wildman offered you." "Dad, I'm going to jail, and you know it." "Yeah, well, maybe that's the price, Son." "It's gonna be hard on you, that's for sure." "But maybe in some kind of screwed-up way... it's the best thing that could have happened to you." "You stop going for the easy buck and produce something with your life." "Create instead of living off the buying and selling of others." " We'll park the car and catch up with you." " All right."