Cinema Verdict Review: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

OPENING: 09/24/2010

STUDIO: Fox

RUN TIME: 133 min

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
An Oliver Stone Film

Opening Statement
Few films have encapsulated the era in which they were made quite so much as Oliver Stone’s 1987 film Wall Street. Sure, the film falls short of being a masterpiece, but it reached a kind of greatness in the way it captured the rabid, no-holds-barred capitalism of the 1980s. Stone intended the film as a cautionary tale, and intended the character of Gordon Gecko as a villain. Alas, the character was almost too magnetic: Gecko was less a warning than an inspiration to many aspiring young businessmen. 23 years later, as America’s financial crisis continues to dominate the headlines, it only seems natural for Stone to revisit the world of finance.

Facts of the Case
We are re-acquainted with Mr. Gecko (Michael Douglas, Wonder Boys) in 2001, as he is being released after an eight-year stretch in prison. He’s handed a few of his personal items: a money clip, a pen, a ridiculously oversized mobile phone and a check for just under $2,000. Once upon a time he would have spent that money on supper. Now it’s rent for the month.

Fast-forward seven years and we meet Jake Moore (Shia LaBeouf, Disturbia), an up-and-coming Wall Street trader working for a firm run by an old pro named Louis Zobel (Frank Langella, Starting Out in the Evening). Jake also happens to be engaged to a young woman named Winnie Gecko (Carey Mulligan, An Education)– yes, she’s Gordon’s daughter, but she hasn’t spoken to him in years. When Zobel’s firm crashes and is gutted by the merciless Bretton James (Josh Brolin, No Country for Old Men), Jake is determined to get revenge. He introduces himself to his future father-in-law behind Winnie’s back, hoping to get a little insight on how to avenge his beloved employer. Gecko seems tickled at the idea of dipping his toes into the waters of Wall Street once again, and agrees to help on one condition: that Jake find a way to reunite Gordon with his estranged daughter.

The Evidence
We’ve had an overabundance of sequels in recent times, but Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps ranks as one that feels more than justified. I for one was eager to see what Gordon Gecko would make of Wall Street in the 21st Century, and how Stone would address a financial system that’s changed so much and so little at the same time. However, I couldn’t help but be a little nervous given Stone’s recent track record. He missed completely with Alexander and World Trade Center, and while W. was good it felt undercooked and a little unnecessary. Fortunately, Stone is in pretty good form this time around–the film certainly has its share of problems, but its ambition, energy and the skill of its actors make it a compelling watch.

The film is well-titled, as it’s not only about Wall Street but about the way money ceaselessly affects our lives. Yes, there is drama involving firms stabbing each other in the back and deals being made behind closed doors, but money is also at the root of all the personal drama in the film–Jake’s somewhat strained relationship with his mother (Susan Sarandon, The Lovely Bones), the tifts in his relationship with Winnie, Gordon’s attempt to get back where he wants to be in life and so much more. Stone generally keeps the screen bustling with action, and you can almost see the piles of money shuffling left and right as these frantic players slip and slide across the stage. There are moments when Stone hits the sort of euphoric cinematic overload that made his JFK and Nixon such thrilling experiences; there are so many interesting things going on that I found myself desiring a second viewing midway through my first.

To be sure, this isn’t because the film is so good but rather because there’s so much to process. I have a feeling that digging deeper will reveal both additional delight and dismay, as the surface stuff is similarly hit-and-miss. Stone’s passion is both his greatest asset and liability, as his scenes resonate strongly when they’re on target but really rub the viewer the wrong way when they misfire. There are moments in this film so good I wanted to applaud, and others so poorly-judged that I literally rolled my eyes. Stone can be so on-the-nose at times, so maddeningly obvious, but then he’ll turn in something so inspired that you can’t help but forgive him.

While Stone’s on his slightly stress-inducing roller-coaster of judgment calls, the actors are rock-solid and carry the film through its rougher patches. I kinda like Shia LaBeouf in general, but harnessing that cutesy desperation to an earnest Wall Street trader was an inspired idea. That frantic longing in LaBeouf’s eyes takes on new dimensions in this context, and he delivers everything the part requires of him. Cary Mulligan is also quite good as Winnie and generates a nice chemistry with LaBeouf–one typical, clichéd scene in particular is played so well by the two actors that I didn’t even mind that I’d seen that sort of thing a thousand times before. Frank Langella and Eli Wallach are superb in their small but important roles, while Josh Brolin radiates sleazy charm in a manner befitting a character who acts an awful lot like a young Gordon Gecko.

Speaking of Mr. Gecko–it can’t be denied that Michael Douglas pretty much owned the original film, and I feel obliged to report that he owns this one, too. What a fascinating performance this is, and what an interesting challenge for Douglas (who is battling cancer as this film is being released). Revisiting an iconic character many years later is a dangerous proposition, but the actor recreates his Oscar-winning role to great effect. The old Gordon Gecko is there, but he’s lurking beneath the shadow of this older, sometimes wiser, more subdued man. Most of that venomous energy is gone, but there are more dimensions to the character this time around. I couldn’t help but marvel at the manner in which Douglas manages to make the modern Gordon so emotionally open and yet so cagey at the same time. The first one-on-one scene he shares with his daughter is devastatingly good; I was caught off guard by just how intensely affecting it was.

Closing Statement
While a lot of things in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps don’t quite stick, enough of them do to make the film worthwhile. I was frustrated at some points and annoyed at others, but I was never bored or disinterested. And I still want to see it again.

The Verdict
8/10

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