Movie Review: "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps"

Seen on: September 24, 2010

The players: Director: Oliver Stone, Writers: Allan Loeb, Stephen Schiff, Cast: Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf, Carey Mulligan, Josh Brolin

Facts of interest: None.

The plot: Gordon Gekko gets out of prison and tries to get back into the game while a young Wall Street trader learns his lessons the hard way.

Our thoughts: The global financial meltdown is just what Oliver Stone needed as the backdrop for a “Wall Street” sequel, and 23 years after the original’s release, here we are: “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” has landed in theaters, and Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) is back in action and still looking sharp. Too bad he doesn’t have a bigger role in this moderately entertaining follow-up.

I say that because of two pretty obvious reasons: first, Gekko is undoubtedly the most compelling character in the film, and second, Douglas easily delivers the best performance of this otherwise solid cast. To me, that’s enough to have more of Gekko and less of everything else, but sadly enough, he still kind of remains in the background in this sequel.

Sure, Douglas shows up here and there to deliver his cool lines and make sure people know he saw the financial crisis coming from far away, but the main character of this film is Shia LaBeouf’s Jake Moore, the young and determined Wall Street trader whose eagerness and naivete threatens to cause his own downfall after he gets to know Gekko a little bit better.

LaBeouf is fun to watch onscreen because he brings a bunch of energy to the table that’s hard to ignore. Alas, he’s also the one who falls victim to screenwriter Allan Loeb’s sappiest scenes in the film, a recurring flaw that kills off some of Jake’s credibility. A bunch of his overdramatic scenes with co-star Carey Mulligan as his girlfriend are without a doubt unnecessary.

Stone’s sequel is filled with subplots all connected to the beginning of the financial crisis, which the film introduces via a series of colorful and fast-paced montages of numbers and TV reports flashing across the screen. First, there’s Gekko’s return, followed by the sudden death of Jake’s mentor, his rivalry with trader Bretton James (Josh Brolin), and his problematic relationship with Mulligan (she’s Gekko’s daughter).

The characters throw around a lot of Wall Street lingo, and even though I’m by no means a financial expert, I kind of enjoyed that in the film. Stone’s message about greed is crystal clear as well, and from a more general perspective, “Money Never Sleeps” boasts an entertaining plot. It’s just a tad too long and features a story that’s only halfway intriguing.

“Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” features large production values, and it’s well shot and edited. Stone’s direction appears a bit weird at times, but overall, he’s on top of it for sure. The music delivers and the whole thing flows. The acting, as I mentioned, works just fine, with Douglas leading and Brolin and LaBeouf doing a good job as well.

Freaky quote: "Someone reminded me I once said 'greed is good'. Now it seems it's legal." - Michael Douglas

The final word: This is by no means a failure. “Money Never Sleeps” has its moments, but it drags a bit and almost lost me a couple of times before its rather ridiculous ending. Gekko fans rejoice though, because despite his reduced appearance, Douglas is the one saving the film. Okay film I’ll probably never revisit, but sure, I recommend giving it a shot.

Article by Franck Tabouring