"Wall Street" Turns 20

"Wall Street" Turns 20

With buyout kings swimming in wealth, markets in turmoil, and Ray-Bans back in fashion, it might seem like Wall Street has stood still since 1987. But to Oliver Stone, the creator of Gordon Gekko and director of the epoch-defining "Wall Street," times have certainly changed.

"Gordon Gekko couldn't create the markets like he did back then," Stone told Fortune in a recent telephone interview. "They're just so big, so huge, with globalization. To be a minor player you need to be a major bank."

Since its release in December, 1987, "Wall Street" has been required viewing for anyone working in finance and a standard way of framing the go-go '80s of junk bonds and power ties - an era that some say has returned during the recent private equity-led mergers and acquisitions boom.

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