Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
(B or 3/4 stars)
I enjoyed 1987's Wall Street, & Michael Douglas deserved his Oscar win for playing the stock broking snake, Gordon Gekko. He went to jail. And now, 23 yrs. later, he's back for this sequel, 'Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps', directed again by Oliver Stone. The film opens with a brief scene in 2001 that shows the disgraced Gekko being released from the clink, then jumps 7 yrs. into the height of the 2008 stock market crisis; right before our economy falls into disaster territory. Gekko has released a book 'Is Greed Good?' {love it}. And a young up & coming broker, Jake Moore (Shia LaBeouf), who is engaged to Gekko's daughter, Winnie (Carey Mulligan), decides to meet his future father-in-law; initially, for the chance to talk to the one-time Wall Street titan. Their 1st conversation is cordial, but it's clear that each man wants something from the other; and more encounters will come.
Meanwhile, Louis Zabel (Frank Langella, in a superb elongated cameo), the head of the firm for which Jake works, finds himself in dire straits because of the enormous number of toxic mortgages on his books. After being subjugated, & given an ultimatum by rival, Bretton James (Josh Brolin, aka, the new 'Gordon Gekko' for this film), Zabel decides to "get out" now before the market implodes altogether {incredible scene}. Jake is sullen over Zabel's suicide & blames Bretton James for it; vowing revenge. Gordon Gekko, who has a score to settle with Bretton (from 23 yrs. ago), offers his help to Jake in return for a reunion btwn. him & his hardened daughter, Winnie. Seeing that the financial community is about to collapse, both Jake & Gekko will use each other to try to save their own personal fates in different ways. But as a former Wall Street mastermind, Gekko has a one-up on idealistic Jake.
'Wall Street 2' (as I'll call it) is long (130 minutes) for the plot we're given. There are some odd editing choices. There are few perfunctory scenes that could have been trimmed. And there are a couple of moments sprinkled throughout where I couldn't quite follow the fast-talking, stock brokin' lingo being spewed back & forth btwn. characters. But all that said, I found the film entertaining, snazzy, snappy, & well acted enough for a recommendation. And of course, all eyes are on Michael Douglas, not only for his whiz-bang performance, but because of recent news of the actor's stage 4 throat cancer.
By blending fact, fiction, & what if scenarios, Oliver Stone offer ideas, theories, opinions & insight into what could have been discussed during the 'real' 2008 bailout. Not all of these ideas work. The narrative becomes a bit all over the place: 1) Gekko's return, 2) re-establishing himself in the Wall Street milieu, 3) Jake's personal issues with Winnie, 4) his professional woes, 5) murky boardroom wheeling & dealings over the economic collapse, etc.. A lot is going on. And not all of it comes together cohesively. But the movie is never less than engaging, for me, at least. Parts of the film are audacious (special effect-driven diagrams laid over the NYC skyline, colorful graphics depicting corporate shenanigans, split-screen applications, etc.). And the performances, as a whole, are great (even containing fun cameos from Susan Sarandon, Eli Wallach, Sylvia Miles, Charlie Sheen, & Stone, himself).
You don't really get in deep with the socio-pathology, so to speak, of $$ culture. It's as if Stone didn't want to get bogged down with too much $$ talk or else less-knowledgeable audiences would get anxious. I mean, 1987's Wall Street had some flash & verve, but it also immersed itself in the Wall Street subculture. This film has a bit too much flash for its buck. This movie is glossy; giving us viewers more gleam & 'surface' money talk than getting down & dirty with global finance. And YET, maybe I'm glad for the flash. Maybe too much 'insider' money talk would have bogged down the pacing for me.
Michael Douglas is superb as Gekko, once again. He may be older, wiser (?), a bit battered & in a different era ... but he's still the same suave, smooth talkin' A-hole who manipulates for personal gain. Douglas nails every nuance, gesture & quip of a man who knows his sh*t down-pat. Shia LaBeouf acquits himself well. It's probably the most impressed I've been with him; though that isn't saying much. Carey Mulligan is great in the 1-dimensional role of Winnie. She’s a beauty. I was riveted to her every move, line delivery & tear-induced emotion. Josh Brolin is okay, but pales in comparison to Gekko's malice. Overall, 'Wall Street 2' tells an uneven, but entertaining story about ambition, manipulation, romance, $$ & anger. It could have angrier yet. And the ending is a bit ... soft. But there are many minor aspects of the film to enjoy. It's elegant, sleek, witty nature kept me afloat.
Meanwhile, Louis Zabel (Frank Langella, in a superb elongated cameo), the head of the firm for which Jake works, finds himself in dire straits because of the enormous number of toxic mortgages on his books. After being subjugated, & given an ultimatum by rival, Bretton James (Josh Brolin, aka, the new 'Gordon Gekko' for this film), Zabel decides to "get out" now before the market implodes altogether {incredible scene}. Jake is sullen over Zabel's suicide & blames Bretton James for it; vowing revenge. Gordon Gekko, who has a score to settle with Bretton (from 23 yrs. ago), offers his help to Jake in return for a reunion btwn. him & his hardened daughter, Winnie. Seeing that the financial community is about to collapse, both Jake & Gekko will use each other to try to save their own personal fates in different ways. But as a former Wall Street mastermind, Gekko has a one-up on idealistic Jake.
'Wall Street 2' (as I'll call it) is long (130 minutes) for the plot we're given. There are some odd editing choices. There are few perfunctory scenes that could have been trimmed. And there are a couple of moments sprinkled throughout where I couldn't quite follow the fast-talking, stock brokin' lingo being spewed back & forth btwn. characters. But all that said, I found the film entertaining, snazzy, snappy, & well acted enough for a recommendation. And of course, all eyes are on Michael Douglas, not only for his whiz-bang performance, but because of recent news of the actor's stage 4 throat cancer.
By blending fact, fiction, & what if scenarios, Oliver Stone offer ideas, theories, opinions & insight into what could have been discussed during the 'real' 2008 bailout. Not all of these ideas work. The narrative becomes a bit all over the place: 1) Gekko's return, 2) re-establishing himself in the Wall Street milieu, 3) Jake's personal issues with Winnie, 4) his professional woes, 5) murky boardroom wheeling & dealings over the economic collapse, etc.. A lot is going on. And not all of it comes together cohesively. But the movie is never less than engaging, for me, at least. Parts of the film are audacious (special effect-driven diagrams laid over the NYC skyline, colorful graphics depicting corporate shenanigans, split-screen applications, etc.). And the performances, as a whole, are great (even containing fun cameos from Susan Sarandon, Eli Wallach, Sylvia Miles, Charlie Sheen, & Stone, himself).
You don't really get in deep with the socio-pathology, so to speak, of $$ culture. It's as if Stone didn't want to get bogged down with too much $$ talk or else less-knowledgeable audiences would get anxious. I mean, 1987's Wall Street had some flash & verve, but it also immersed itself in the Wall Street subculture. This film has a bit too much flash for its buck. This movie is glossy; giving us viewers more gleam & 'surface' money talk than getting down & dirty with global finance. And YET, maybe I'm glad for the flash. Maybe too much 'insider' money talk would have bogged down the pacing for me.
Michael Douglas is superb as Gekko, once again. He may be older, wiser (?), a bit battered & in a different era ... but he's still the same suave, smooth talkin' A-hole who manipulates for personal gain. Douglas nails every nuance, gesture & quip of a man who knows his sh*t down-pat. Shia LaBeouf acquits himself well. It's probably the most impressed I've been with him; though that isn't saying much. Carey Mulligan is great in the 1-dimensional role of Winnie. She’s a beauty. I was riveted to her every move, line delivery & tear-induced emotion. Josh Brolin is okay, but pales in comparison to Gekko's malice. Overall, 'Wall Street 2' tells an uneven, but entertaining story about ambition, manipulation, romance, $$ & anger. It could have angrier yet. And the ending is a bit ... soft. But there are many minor aspects of the film to enjoy. It's elegant, sleek, witty nature kept me afloat.