Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Starring: Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf, Carey Mulligan, Josh Brolin
So, 23 years after Wall Street showed us how enigmatic and evil a corporate raider can be, greed still makes for a good film – up to a point.
Oliver Stone’s sequel to his 1987 classic has some fine performances and excellent cinematography, but its pace is so slow that you, unlike money, might well fall asleep.
It’s 2008 and trader Jake Moore (LaBeouf) is out for blood when his mentor is destroyed by rumours. After consulting with Gordon Gekko (Douglas), the legendary corporate raider (now out of prison) and father of his girlfriend, Winnie (Mulligan), he takes aim at tycoon Bretton James (Brolin). But dealing with Gekko comes at a price, and Moore realises a leopard doesn’t easily change its spots.
Having Gekko back on screen is a blast and Douglas develops his most famous character by adding vulnerability. He’s well supported by LaBeouf and Mulligan who, despite being called on to little more than cry every 10 minutes, manages to be memorable.
Pity, then, that the last third plods along so badly that the film’s stock drops dramatically.
3/5
Good for: Those who believe that greed is good.
Review: Pierre de villiers
