Twenty-three years after the release of Oliver Stone’s Wall Street (1987), financial whiz Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) returns in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, using his sharply-honed expertise in a world where finance has become much more challenging.
In the 1987 original, Stone introduced us to whiz-kid Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen), an ambitious stock trader with a strong desire to go to the top, who is taken under wing by Gekko, then one of the biggest stock speculators. Fox found himself swept into the lure of fast money and the pervasive “greed is good” philosophy that marked the ‘80s.
But soon enough, of course, Fox was manipulated by his master and realized finally that greed could be a vice.
In the contemporary Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Gekko is back in the place after a big stint prison.
Not only does he have to find his new place in a world he once dominated, but he also must try to repair his damaged relationship with his daughter, Winnie (Carey Mulligan).
To reach these goals, he once again turns his manipulative attention to a young and naïve — but brilliant and terribly attractive — Wall Street newbie, Winnie’s fiancé, Jake Moore (Shia LaBeouf).
As America is going through difficult economics times, Oliver Stone’s sequel is a good reminder of the dangers of speculating, making this version even more realistic than the original one.
With a cynical eye, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps depicts a financial microcosm where greed is omnipresent.
There is indeed no place for idealists on Stone’s Wall Street, and Gekko rules for the second time. On top of that, this movie tells us a lot about our relationship to money: it never sleeps. We are always obsessing over it.
And when the real Wall Street imploded in 2008, everyone seemed to be in trouble — not only traders but also people outside the stock trading bubble.
This is depicted through Moore’s mother, a greedy Long Island real estate speculator who is played by Susan Sarandon. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps reflects the current economic downfall, including the panic that has emerged from the rise in bankruptcy and the uncovering of scrupulous spectactors. It is clear that the crimes of Bernie Madoff and his associates are reflected in the film.
However, don’t be surprised: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is not all about money. It is also about love, family and trust.
That being said, several predictable scenes leave the plot lacking depth.
Each character has only one dimension to offer and it seems that Stone has nearly forgotten everything about the shades of personality.
For instance, LeBeouf embodies the over-idealist trader, who is inspired by one-note good and moral Wall Street figure, Louis Zabel (Frank Langella).
Contrarily, trader Brenton James (Josh Brolin) attempts to lure Moore into the flashy, yet dark and corrupt side of Wall Street.
In addition, despite the fact that Moore and Winnie make a trendy and successful New Yorker couple, their love story adds no edge to the plot at all.
As for Douglas, his talent remains uncontestable, even though the role does not flatter him that much.
It is easy to prefer the young cynical and greedy Gekko than the “on his way to redemption” persona flaunted by the Gekko of the sequel.
But it is, however, comforting to know that he has a heart, and the audience learns that getting older and feeling lonely is no fun for anyone.
The thing about Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is that the whole movie is pretty predictable.
One almost expects that something really dramatic is going to happen in order to be surprised.
And, of course, the major failure the movie is the lack of diverse psychology within the characters.
Nevertheless, one of the most interesting things about the newest Wall Street endeavor might be how Oliver Stone manages, despite all these clichés, to give his audience a great time.
