Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

A decidedly inferior sequel, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps follows an ambitious trader (Shia LaBeouf’s Jake Moore) as he convinces recently-paroled corporate raider Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) to work with him on a variety of issues – including a scheme designed to avenge the death of his mentor (Frank Langella’s Louis Zabel). Filmmaker Oliver Stone echoes the original film by immediately diving into the financial comings and goings of the various (underdeveloped) characters, which holds the viewer at arm’s length from the material and ensures that the majority of what unfolds onscreen comes off as nonsensical mumbo jumbo. The movie’s atmosphere of head-scratching complexity is exacerbated by LaBeouf’s rather bland turn as Moore, with the one-dimensional nature of the character preventing the viewer from becoming wholeheartedly wrapped up in his ongoing efforts and exploits. The film’s problems are compounded by the relative lack of Gordon Gekko, as it often seems as though Douglas’ iconic character has been artlessly shoehorned into a previously-written screenplay (ie his very presence feels like an afterthought). And while the movie does boast a few compelling (and all-too-rare) character-based moments – ie Gekko reconciles with his estranged daughter (Carey Mulligan’s Winnie) – Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps comes off as a crowded and hopelessly overlong piece of work that improves slightly in its midsection, admittedly, yet the film ultimately limps to its absurdly sentimental finale.

** out of ****