I finally saw this, having read the book and put off watching the movie. I should have kept putting it off. It honestly is one of the worst movies I have ever seen, in every sense of the word, in all departments. A rare achievement for a film. Both Tom and Bruce are woefully miscast and if there was a motivation in any of the characters, I am still digging for it. All the depth of the novel completely vanished from sight. Did anybody even remotely associated with the film READ the book??? I suspect Melanie Griffith might have come close, her character's greed, dishonesty and avarice shines through. Morgan Freeman (and I am a long time admirer) overacts to the point of nausea. Hanks is far too nice for the part of Sherman. He just about sinks under the weight of the part. I mean nice Tommy as a "master of the universe?" A brutal bond trader? I kept watching, I had no hope it would improve, it was akin to watching an accident at the side of the road. You want to drive away, you can't. You can't define what's keeping you there, the gore, the smashed and broken bodies, the pitiful moaning? 3 out of 10 for this absolute mess of a flick.
Review of The Bonfire of the Vanities
