9. Bonfire of the Vanities (1990)
Based on Tom Wolfe’s 690-page novel, «Bonfire» is a study in class, greed, racism, and ambition. Filmed as a comedy-drama, the movie never tapped into the success of Wolfe’s 1987 novel – in fact, it flopped so badly that a «Wall Street Journal» film critic wrote a book about it.
Nevertheless, it is one of the decisive chronicles of heady 1980s in finance, along with «Wall Street». Tom Hanks’ «Master of the Universe» bond trader is involved in a Bronx hit-and run accident with his buxom mistress; alcoholic writer Bruce Willis seizes on the case as a rally cry for the African-American community. The posh Wall Streeter finds himself in the middle of a class and race war as a result. The film can’t match Wolfe’s powerful prose, but is still a must-see cautionary tale for understanding the go-go era.
