'WALL STREET : MONEY NEVER SLEEPS' - is the sequel to Oliver Stone's 1987 classic 'Wall Street' which was made for just US$15M, made US$44M, snagged its lead star Michael Douglas the Best Actor Academy Award, and co-starred a who's who of acting talent including Charlie Sheen, Martin Sheen, Daryl Hannah, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, Terence Stamp, Sean Young and John C. McGinley. It beautifully captured the excesses of the mid 80's finance power brokers, the traders, the movers and shakers up and down Wall Street and in particular one Gordon Gekko (Douglas) who muttered those immortal lines 'greed is good'.
Fast forward to 2010 and we now have a fitting follow up to that 1987 classic retaining many of the original elements - sharp dialogue, sharper suits and Gordon Gekko still at his razor sharpest and reprised by Michael Douglas. With Oliver Stone once again Directing, this film was made for US$70M and brought home US$135M but in the process divided audiences and the critics.
This film opens in 2001 and Gordon Gekko is being released from prison having served eight years for insider trading and fraud. Fast forward to 2008 and Gekko releases his book 'Is Greed Good' which foretells of a global economic downturn, which as we all know hit in October of that year. When the brown sticky smelly stuff hits the fan a number of top finance institutions go into meltdown - including the one where Louis Zabel (Frank Langella) is MD, who promptly throws himself in front of a train. At this same company works Jacob Moore (Shia LaBeouf) who is a successful trader, and he just happens to be dating the estranged daughter of Gordon Gekko - Winnie (Carey Mulligan), and financially supporting his mothers (Susan Sarandon) fledgling Real Estate business. Meanwhile Bretton James (Josh Brolin) who heads up another rival Wall Street institution is up to no good profiting from the mis-fortunes of his rivals and who now find themselves in strife, or have done so in the past . . . including Louis Zabel.
From here paths cross and double cross, deals rise and fall and huge sums of money change hands as each seek to get the upper hand and discredit the other. Charlie Sheen makes a reappearance as Bud Fox from the original film, and Josh Brolin chews up the screen as the uber successful & evil man of Wall Street. Michael Douglas recaptures his cut & thrust, his wheeling & dealing and his smooth suited & booted smiling financial assassin who comes good in the end, and ends up back on top having fallen from grace 15 or so years earlier.
I enjoyed this slice of Oliver Stone Wall Street nostalgia, and whilst hardly an essential sequel it was/is a good watch nonetheless with once again a strong cast that includes too Eli Wallach in his final role before his passing in 2014, Jason Clarke and Oliver Stone himself in his usual cameo appearance. Rent it on DVD or BluRay or download it, but catch the 1987 first instalment before you do so that you grasp the origin story and the continuity . . . as well as the wide lapels, fat ties and big hair!-Steve, at Odeon Online-
