Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Greed Expectations: Oliver Stone addresses matters of morality without too much moralizing.
By Eric D. Snider
Money Never Sleeps is set in 2008, just as the phrase “too big to fail” is about to enter the lexicon. Gekko (again played by Michael Douglas) is out of prison, seemingly repentant of his misdeeds and making a living as an author and speaker. His daughter, Winnie (Carey Mulligan), can’t stand him. Winnie’s boyfriend, Jacob (Shia LaBeouf), a rising star at an investment firm, is in awe of his potential father-in-law’s capitalistic prowess and wants advice. Gekko has been around the block, though, and he knows this mortgage bubble is about to burst.
Stone overdoes some of the symbolism—including that involving bubbles—and at one point actually has the image of Jacob’s dead, honest mentor (Frank Langella) appear over Jacob’s shoulder, lest we fail to note that he is conflicted about the ethics of his actions. The pat ending reeks of afterthoughts and re-shoots, too.
Otherwise, this is a swift and engaging financial thriller (is that a thing?) that addresses matters of morality without too much moralizing. LaBeouf just about holds his own with powerhouses Douglas and Josh Brolin (who plays a Wall Street scoundrel), and gives us an entry point into this cautionary fable for our day. Can the cycle be broken? Or are we simply living Wall Street: The Next Generation? Stone doesn’t have a lot of answers—thank goodness—but his film is reasonably entertaining to watch.
WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS
Shia LaBeouf, Michael Douglas, Carey Mulligan
Rated PG-13
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