Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

Some twenty years back, Michael Douglas won his second Oscar for staring as sinister stock trader Gordon Gekko in Oliver Stone’s film Wall Street. Now, director and star have comeback to make the sequel, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.

In the last film, Gekko was sent to jail thanks in large part to his former protégé, Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen, who cameos here). Some seven years after he is let out, it’s now 2008, when good ol’ greed throws Wall Street down for the count.

A new potential protégé named Jake Moore (Shia LaBeouf) comes to Gekko after sleazy trader Bretton James (Josh Brolin) sends his Wall Street firm down the tubes. Also, Jake is dating Gekko’s daughter, Winnie (Carey Mulligan), who hates her dad. So, it’s a revenge story and family reconciliation story all in one.

Gordon Gekko here is supposed to be the star here, so he gets his own paragraph. Apparently, Stone and Douglas try to make him a more sympathetic character here as opposed to the sly dog from last time. But the trouble here is that he abruptly goes back to his old ways in a spectacularly sinister way about ¾ in.

Josh Brolin, meanwhile, made for a so-so villain. Not so nice, not so mean, just apathetic middle ground. Eli Wallach, who’s only in for a few scenes here, makes a memorable impression as an eccentric member of James’s think-tank. In fact, he’s probably the best thing about this movie.

The performances from LaBeouf and Susan Sarandon as Jake’s mother help make this film watchable too. Still, there’s the fact that the film drags quite a bit. With a few tweaks in length and script, this film could’ve been better.

JETHRO'S NOTE: In case you're interested, Michael Douglas won his first Oscar as Co-Producer of Best Picture Winner One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.