WALL STREET MONEY NEVER SLEEPS 3.5***
Oliver Stone's 1987 film "Wall Street" took viewers into the exotic world of high finance and stock trading. Now, 23 years later, Oliver Stone returns with its sequel. This is the first ever sequel Stone has directed. The first movie was a huge hit as it came at time when financial news was just news and suddenly there was this movie on banking that was a thriller. This time there's nothing ground breaking about it except in gets into exotic mortgage securities and the outlandish sale of insurance to cover losses on them. This is the rare sequel that took its time (23 years) and not only advances the story but also has something new to say. Stone and his writers have crafted a tale that takes advantage of viewers' newfound knowledge and cynicism about banking and high finance and “being too big to fail.”.

Also, Stone brings Gordon Gekko back to the big screen with Michael Douglas reprising his screen-stealing role as Gekko. He is but one of many talented actors who make up the strong cast, which include Shia LeBeouf (Transformers, 2007), Carey Mulligan (An Education, 2009), Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon, 2008), Josh Brolin (No Country For Old Men, 2007), and Charlie Sheen, who played Bud Fox, a lead character in the first Wall Street, also makes a cameo appearance.


The story settles quickly on young proprietary trader Jake Moore (LaBeouf), who just happens to be in love with Winnie Gekko (Mulligan), Gekko’s estranged daughter. Despite Gekko's attempts to warn Wall Street of the economic downturn and impending stock market crash, no one takes him seriously because of his early crimes for insider trading. Then Gekko tries through Jake to rebuild his relationship with his daughter who blames him for her brother's suicide. In the mean while, the global economy is on the verge of disaster,

Can Douglas win two Oscars playing the same role? An actor rarely gets the opportunity to revive a breakthrough role in a way that allows him to rethink the character and to reflect on where fatal flaws once lay. Douglas does this brilliantly and, in my opinion, coupled with his probable death from throat cancer, he could win the Oscar posthumously. LaBeouf is top notch. He nicely balances his character's idealism and shrewdness. Mulligan and Brolin deliver strong supporting roles with attention-grabbing characters.

I say that you should go to this movie to experience Gordon Gekko after 23 years and to experience a well done classy movie by Oliver Stone. Oh too, it has a nice romantic story and is a thriller.

Clark