Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps - a Sequel as Unlikely as it is Timely

It took me awhile to appreciate Oliver Stone's 1987 drama "Wall Street." Any movie that deals with the intricacies of math and stocks among other things drives me seriously bonkers because I get very impatient with such subjects (especially math). But now, it is clear that it was one of the most definitive movies from the 80's in how it struck at the heart of corporate greed, and turned out to be as prophetic as Sidney Lumet's "Network." "Wall Street" was a sign of unrestrained tactics that in retrospect we should have paid far more attention to as it all lead to the horrific financial crisis of 2008.

So it only makes sense that Stone's film would now get a sequel, and we all have to wonder if someone like Gordon Gekko would fit in today's world. But furthermore, we again have to ask if the 80's ever really left us. This makes "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" all the more timely as it uses the financial crisis as a way to reintroduce Gekko to the world at large. Michael Douglas returns to his Oscar winning role as Gekko as does Oliver Stone as director. Whereas the first movie was an incisive look at insider trading, this follow is really more of a melodramatic story as Gekko tries to reconnect with his long estranged daughter, and he does by going through her fiancée who himself is a young proprietary trader on Wall Street; someone who reminds Gekko very much of himself at that age.

"Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" opens with Gekko being released from prison, and long since abandoned by family and whatever friends he might have had. His status an ancient relic of the 80's is all but symbolized by that gigantic cell phone he's given back upon his release. The plot then shifts forward several years to where we meet the movie's main character, Jacob Moore who is played by Shia LaBeouf. Jake lives with his girlfriend Winnie (Carey Mulligan) who just happens to be Gordon Gekko's daughter, although she herself would be loathe to admit that. Winnie no longer wants anything to do with her father as she blames him for the death of her brother who died of a drug overdose. However, Jacob ends up meeting with him anyway behind Winnie's back in an effort to find a way for them to reconcile and forgive.

But there's another motive behind Jacob's need to get close to Gordon, to avenge the death of his mentor Louis Zabel (Frank Langella, great as always). We see that Louis' company which he built from the ground up, Keller Zabel Investments is now neck deep in toxic debt which leads his bitter enemy Bretton James (Josh Brolin) to buy the company's stock for $2 dollars a share. Such a cheap price for a once prestigious firm, Louis considers this offer a gigantic insult, but he ends up settling for $3 dollars a share upon accepting the fact that he is no longer in a position to bargain. The next day, Louis commits suicide by throwing himself in front of a subway train. Jacob blames Bretton for what happened to Louis, and he uses Gekko to get closer to him and find a way to make him suffer a fate that is far worse.

The question about Gordon Gekko is the same as it was for Michael Corleone in "The Godfather Part III"; Is this guy even worthy of any kind of redemption? Gordon Gekko was one of the most profound the 1980's as he viewed even family, friends, love, and loyalty as merely possessions to be bought, sold, or later traded to the highest bidder. For Gekko, it was never about making tons of money as much as it was about "the game." Could prison really have changed that conceited perception for him? Some of us would like to think so, but many others would be hard pressed to believe it or too spiteful to try even forgetting let alone repairing the past.

Seeing Michael Douglas once again in his iconic role is a real treat, and he makes Gordon Gekko seem more vulnerable and wiser this time around. As we watch him give lectures at colleges on his new book called "Is Greed Good", Gekko warns of the financial meltdown he knows is coming and that it will hit this country perhaps even harder than the Great Depression. As he gets up to the podium to speak, he doesn't even try to hide what's in store for everybody in the room:

"You're all fucked..."

Still, there's that little twinkle in his eye that suggests that he may not be completely on the level with us all. Douglas has fun keeping the viewer guessing as to whether Gekko will turn a new leaf or he will slink back to what made him so incredibly powerful the first time around.

One scene that stands out in particular is when Gordon confronts his daughter Winnie, practically begging for her forgiveness. She blames him for her brother Rudy's suicide after a long battle with drug addiction. Watching this scene, you can't help but think about what Michael Douglas has been going through in real life with his son Cameron who is now serving a prison sentence for drug charges. Whether this is by design or simply coincidental is not entirely certain, but it makes for one the movie's most dramatic moments that undeniably cuts to the heart of each character's desires.

For those worried that Gordon Gekko will not be the same voraciously greedy villain that he was before, you can count on Josh Brolin's performance as Bretton James to make up for that. Brolin has been on a roll now for the past few years, and his performance as Bretton (not to mention that Reganesque haircut of his) exudes a subtly fierce demeanor of a man focused on nothing more than having more power than anyone else in the room. Characters like Bretton come to show that the most powerful people on Wall Street are just as bad as they ever were, except that the damage they inflict is far more hideous now in that regular working people pay the price.

Shia LaBeouf has become one of those actors everybody in Hollywood loves to hate because he gets all these plum roles and ends up working with highly regarded directors everyone is dying to be employed by. Many say that he really isn't that great of an actor, but he's much better than people give him credit for. As Jake Moore, he doesn't just give us this film's version of Buddy Fox (Charlie Sheen's character from the original), and his character's moral center is certainly a lot stronger if not always intact. Shia plays his scenes from the heart and is never overbearing, and he makes you believe that he wants nothing but what's best for him and his girlfriend. Other actors might have just phoned it in, but I can't accuse Shia of doing that here.

Carey Mulligan, so wonderful in "An Education," has the girlfriend role here as Winnie Gekko. She's very good although I did start to tire of the same sullen expression she has on her face throughout the film. She's almost like a human Eeyore, constantly pained even when good things happen to her. Still, she has great moments where you can just look at her face and see the turmoil that continually engulfs her in life.

You can always count on Oliver Stone to cast a lot of great actors in supporting roles no matter what film it is. Vanessa Ferlito has some choice moments here as a tough wall street trader who never looks to be messed with when on the phone with a client. Susan Sarandon also shows up as Jake's mother who has essentially become the equivalent of a crack addict when it comes to her career as a real estate agent. I don't know how necessary this character was to the overall story, but Susan is always fun to watch nonetheless. You also got to love Eli Wallach who is still acting well into his 90's and doesn't appear to be stopping anytime soon. As Wall Street patriarch Jules Steinhardt, he has a powerful moment as he equates the current financial crisis to the stock market crash of 1929, and the intimate knowledge his character has of that time makes him the most clear headed of everyone in the room. Jules has seen this country drown once, and he knows how bad it will get when it happens again. Seriously, I think it's great that Eli is still acting.

And yes, there is that cameo from Charlie Sheen as Buddy Fox, and the moment he shares with Michael Douglas is priceless. On the surface, they are pleasant with one another, but underneath you can feel each character's resentment for one another coming up to the surface.

Actually, those were the moments I liked most in "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps;" where two characters glare at each other, saying one thing and yet meaning something else. As each one tries to get at the other's weaknesses, you start to wonder who would be the better poker player. The characters never fight one another with guns, but the damage they inflict on each other is every bit as bloody.

"Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" is not a movie designed to make you all outraged about what's going on in today's shattered economic climate (as if we really needed a movie for that). For that, there are some great documentaries you can check out by Michael Moore and Alex Gibney among other filmmakers. This sequel uses the financial collapse as a way at looking at each character and how they react to it. Some have spent years in the trenches of Wall Street while others are still relatively new to it, and what happened in 2008 affects everyone deeply in different ways.

In the end, this is not the equal of Stone's 1987 film which itself was an incisive look at the mechanics of the stock market and those looking to profit from it. Stone also had dedicated that movie to his dad who himself was a stockbroker for most of his life. This one does have fascinating backroom information on all things business, and it is nowhere as intimate as a result. Instead it is more closely focused on its characters and how the state of the economy affects how they proceed in life. I'm not sure I bought all the character switches that went on here, and the ending does feel a bit contrived. Still, if you can accept it for what it is, "Wall Street Money Never Sleeps" is as entertaining as is timely as any sequel on this subject could be.

One other thing; Stone's use of some songs by David Byrne and Brian Eno create an interesting contrast of peacefulness to the hustle and bustle of the investment markets. Those beautiful melodies that these two great musicians create serve to show that while many of these characters play hard with the economy, there is still a heart that beats under their greedy flesh (most of them anyway). Perhaps Stone believes that there is still some hope for us if we can try to fix the problem.

*** out of ****