the very end of the movie "Wall Street"

[AV8R]

I just saw the move "Wall Street" again. I thought it was a great movie. When I originally saw it in the theater, I was sure when I walked out that Michael Douglas was going to win an award.
Anyway, I have a question concerning the very end of the movie. Bud Fox's father gives him a ride and drops him off in front of a building and says that he'll park the car and see him inside. As Bud walks up the stairs the camera zooms way back and we see him going into a huge granite building. Were we supposed to know what's going on here? Is he going in for some kind of trial or sentencing that I wasn't aware of? Is this a famous building or courthouse that is familiar to everyone?

[astorian]

I haven't seen the movie in about ten years, but as I recall, it was a federal courthouse building in lower Manhattan- not TOO far from the financial district where Bud (Charlie Sheen) had been working.

He's either about to go on trial for fraud/insider trading, or he's already been convicted and is about to face sentencing.

[manhattan]

I think it was the Manhattan Municipal Courts building, which is next door to the Federal Courthouse. It might have been the Federal building itself. Movie guys often use one for the other, since they both look like big-ol' courthouses and no one can keep them straight anyway.

They are downtown, near city hall, and they are commonly used for courthouse scenes in movies based in New York.

Bud was presumably going in for sentencing, since he had pretty clearly copped a plea (which was why he wore a wire).