Movie Review Rewind: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)

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In 1987, Wall Street focused on greed and corruption, and introduced the world to Gordon Gekko. The villain who became a hero in some people’s eyes, which is kind of scary. “Greed is Good” became a motto for the suits on Wall Street. Now almost 24 years later, Oliver Stone brings back Gekko in the sequel Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. Michael Douglas is back and slides right back in to the role that won him an Academy Award. The film not only focuses on a new, larger kind of greed and corruption but the timing is perfect. This film and its story could not be more relevant.

Gordon Gekko (Douglas) has served a very long prison sentence and no one is there for him when he finally gets out. His only family is his daughter, Winnie (Carey Mulligan), and she wants nothing from him and nothing to do with him. However, he finds a way in when he meets Jake Moore (Shia LaBeouf), the man who is going to marry his daughter. Jake wants revenge and needs Gordon’s guidance. Jake wants to find out who was responsible for his boss/mentor Louis Zabel’s (Frank Langella) death and to alert Wall Street of the destruction that is going to occur. We all know how that ends up.

There has to be something in it for Gekko and there is. If he can help Jake then Jake will try to make Gordon a part of his daughter’s life again. And we would like to think prison changed Gordon Gekko, but we all know that is impossible. He wants more than just his daughter’s love. Gekko is older and maybe wiser, but he is looking from the outside in to a world he used to be a part of and he wants another taste of it. So greed, revenge, and manipulation is all still flowing through Gekko’s veins. He is just able to hide it better this time around.

Douglas is terrific as Gordon Gekko. To step in to those shoes again after over two decades had to be tough, but Douglas knows who he is and has a firm grasp on his traits and flaws. Gekko was cool then and he is cool now and that is all because of Douglas. LaBeouf is the new kid in this sequel and he really holds his own with veterans such as Douglas and Langella. The chemistry between him and Mulligan is undeniable.

Mulligan is always great and when it is time for her to deliver, she is guaranteed to do so. Josh Brolin plays the corrupt, voracious Bretton James. He is egotistical and thinks he is too big to fail. The banks might be, but not him. Brolin is getting better and better, and he fits right in with the rest of the cast. Like Gekko, you love to hate him.

Stone has done an impressive job of making Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps slick and cool. Just like Wall Street in 1987, this film says a lot about the time we live in. We are all witnesses to the economic disaster and Stone puts the focus on the issue at hand by creating characters such as Jake, Bretton and Gekko. They all represent a piece of Wall Street. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Now if you are not familiar with how the economy and stocks work, and do not know the economic lingo then you could feel overwhelmed. There is a lot of dialogue about these kinds of things and it may be interesting to some and boring to others. I would understand either way. What helps is the human relationships between Gekko, his daughter Winnie, and Jake. The human condition is a big part of the story and it needs to be. The family issues keep the film’s legs moving and provides a steady pace.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is a complimentary sequel to the original. Oliver Stone came back and was able to bring Gordon Gekko back to the big screen and surrounded Douglas with an amazing cast. The main issue I have with this film is the ending. I will not give anything away, but a film such as this with the great Gordon Gekko should not have ended the way it did. It is wrapped up too nicely and just does not feel right. It does not stay true to the attitude of the Wall Street films. Stone could have ended it in a better, more disheartening way. The way Gordon Gekko would have wanted it.

“Nature Boy” Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of Brandon’s Box Office In Your Mouth. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.

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