Movie Review: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

If there is one constant that emerges from the new sequel to Oliver Stone’s groundbreaking, Oscar-winning 1987 picture Wall Street, it’s the universally acknowledged truth that the power of the family bond always tends to prevail. That said, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is an enjoyable film that, in spite of its mix of remarkable high-points and disappointing dips, has the trappings of a powerful drama. That’s saying a lot for a film that is a tad overlong (at 136 minutes) and periodically unfocused.

At its best, though, Wall Street 2 serves as a wonderful showcase for the acting chops of Shia LaBeouf, who is rapidly maturing into a charismatic, charming leading man, and he convincingly holds his own in the numerous scenes he shares with his more seasoned colleagues Josh Brolin, Frank Langella, and Michael Douglas.

Speaking of Douglas, this film is as much his as it is LaBeouf’s, and he makes the long-awaited return of the sharky Gordon Gekko, while nothing spectacular, frequently riveting and occasionally humorous. As the malevolent Wall Street hotshot who returns from prison after an eight-year stint for insider trading, Douglas (who won his Oscar 23 years ago for originating Gekko) skillfully portrays a master at zoning in on people's emotional weak spots and taking delight in seeing them “squirm.”

In one scene, Gekko’s daughter, Winnie, played by the adorably talented Carey Mulligan (An Education) says, “I’ve never known my father to be a peaceful man, and that always scared me.” Well, she is not alone.

On the surface, Wall Street 2 is about the global economy teetering towards collapse, shameless ambition, and vengeance – and the ubiquitous triumvirate of money, power, and respect. At its core, however, lurks a somewhat underdeveloped examination of familial bonds (whether by blood or forged connections), particularly in the patriarchal relationships among Douglas, Langella, and the younger co-stars LaBeouf and Mulligan.

Article Author: TYRONE S REID

Tyrone S Reid is an award-winning Jamaican writer and cultural critic who is passionate about the arts and providing cultural information for people who need it.

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