Movie Review Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps

Anthony Guerrero
The Paw Print

This decent sequel comes twenty-three years after the original 1987’s Wall Street. It is the first time director Oliver Stone has made a sequel to one of his films. The film most noticeably stars Michael Douglas in a reprise of his role as Gordon Gekko for which he won an Academy Award and Shia Lebouf as Gekko’s new son-in-law, Jacob Moore.  There is also a short cameo by Charlie Sheen who is best known for his role on Two and a Half Men.  
This film is centered around the 2008 financial crisis. Gekko is fresh from a long stint in prison and is on a book tour. He then meets his son-in-law and forms a deep bond between both of them, hoping to rekindle his fractured relationship with his daughter Winnie. Winnie is cautious and not optimistic about the future of the new family’s relationship. Gekko soon becomes Jacob’s new mentor, after the apparent suicide of his closest confidant and helps him to plot and successfully carry out revenge against the guilty man. Gekko teaches Moore many of his methods of making money.  There are many brilliant quotes in this film which makes the dialogue very rich. However, Gordon Gekko is still an unethical sleaze ball, and Jacob and Winnie soon find themselves victims of another one of his schemes. The climax of the film is at this moment, and the audience and characters wonder if Gekko’s greed or small sense of moral values will prevail.
While the cast of this movie is extraordinary, and Michael Douglas’ performance is still one to be remembered and admired, the audience will feel satisfied that they were quickly entertained, but for such a brilliant cast and plot potential they will also feel the two hour film could have been a lot better. There are parts of the movie which tend to be quite boring and complex. Wall Street and banking terms are overly simplified through the use of cliché imagery. It is a good movie to see if you are interested in the banking industry and are well-versed in its terminology. It will not be the greatest movie you’ve ever seen, but it certainly will not be the worst.