As the legend of the Phoenix goes, the mythic bird rises from the ashes. It’s not hard when you see the film “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” to think of the character of Gordon Gekko in this regard.
Joining Michael Douglas in reprising his role from the 1987 film “Wall Street” is Shia LeBeouf of “Transformers” fame and Carey Mulligan as Gekko’s daughter, Winnie. Rounding out the supporting cast is a list of well known actors, Frank Langella, Eli Wallach and Susan Sarandon, to name a few.
The basic plot is Gordon is released from prison after the events of the first film. He is alone. Her daughter is in love with LeBeouf’s character, Jake Moore, an investment broker on Wall Street. As is standard custom, I will not spoil any of the plot here and get down to my analysis.
Oliver Stone still knows how to bring it as a director. His pacing here is top notch given the frantic pace of what goes on in a typical day of trading on the street. It captivates one self as you’re watching.
However, I have a problem with a major plot point. This would be the whole father/daughter relationship as depicted. It felt very flat and very soft. This, of course, is part of a triangle involving the two and Jake Moore. It’s a story of love, betrayal and trust.
There is a cameo by Charlie Sheen in this film, but it felt very out of place and haphazard.
Speaking of which, I think that this sequel would have had a much better story had they did a rematch between Bud Fox and Gordon Gekko. It’s the natural story that has to be told. I feel like the filmmakers missed a golden opportunity to make a much more intriguing film.
In the end, I can’t go above 2 stars for this film. It’s a valiant effort, but there were some things missing here that kept it from being a classic.