Every Oliver Stone Movie Ranked Worst To Best
5. Talk Radio
A more underrated effort from Oliver Stone finds its way to the number five spot. Talk Radio heads into the drama genre to tell the story of a radio personality with some contentious views put on the air. The film's story was originally the topic of the book: "Talked to Death: The Life and Murder of Alan Berg".
For the film, they changed the lead to Barry Champlain. He is played by Eric Bogosian, who truly embodies the uninhibited, far right tendencies of the host. Bogosian takes things one step further by portraying the fragile life the protagonist shares with his ex-wife Ellen (Ellen Greene) and the depression he begins to suffer from.
The film's main paradox shows through Barry's questionable views; his insults towards gays, drug addicts and other tactics draw both approval and ire of listeners. And yet his show manages to garner some of the highest ratings on the radio network. Talk Radio was released in 1988 and yet its themes could easily applied to modern day commentators.
Making the most of its low budget, Oliver Stone puts the film's main character front and centre; the result is a deeply personal narrative that has a lot to say about where political commentary can lead.