WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS

Photos courtesy of 20th Century Fox


Gordon Gekko gets a second chance on the market in Oliver Stone’s sequel, WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS

Michael Douglas, reprising his Oscar-winning role from the original, is Gekko, a financially successful, but morally bankrupt Wall Street trader who has just finished an eight-year prison sentence for money laundering and fraud. His return to society is welcomed by the press, with the release of Gekko’s new book, “Is Greed Good?”, but not by his estranged daughter Winnie, played by Carey Mulligan.

Winnie hasn’t forgiven dear old dad for his selfish ways, particularly the impact its had on their family. Winnie has moved on, and is now engaged to Jake, another Wall Street player, who finds Winnie’s father to be an intriguing figure to say the least. After attending a speech by Gordon, Jake decides to get to know his future father-in-law.


Of all the words to describe Oliver Stone films, pandering and tame are two which I never thought I’d use, but these two are the best to describe WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS.

In spite of some of Stone’s cinematic failures, his films have always provoked, entertained or both, but this sequel falls as flat as the Dow Jones average in late 2008. In addition to Stone’s lackluster direction, the film fails due to a script which merely regurgitates headlines from the financial collapse two years ago. Boardroom meetings, behind-door conflicts and market floor mayhem encompass the screenplay, but little seems at stake since the outcome is already known.

The real drama isn’t the market of course, but rather the personal relationships between Winnie, Jake and Gordon. This character-driven triangle doesn’t fare much better. Mulligan, who was terrific in last year’s AN EDUCATION, isn’t given much to work with. Her Winnie is sharp and determined, but is left with little to do but complain about the ill-effects of having Gordon as a dad. There’s little development of Gekko as a character, since it’s a reprised role, but for those who missed the first film 15 years ago, little is offered. That leaves us with Jake, whom the film is really centered around. LaBeouf’s Jake is already enamored with making money and trading, so his allure towards Gordon seems more natural than dramatic.

In spite of all the possibilities a WALL STREET sequel would have in our current state of affairs, Stone leaves several stones unturned, and somehow turns MONEY NEVER SLEEPS into a grand bore.

Grade: D+