Review of Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010) by Arth J — 05 Nov 2018

By contradicting its own methods..

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.

Stone's after apocalyptic world of the previously played characters which was ought to work like an epilogue, instead shucks away the integrity through it. What was once an ethically challenged world, what was once three dimensional, has now narrowed down to more simplicity that it claims to be a sensibility. Stone lops off the soul of this brutal corporate world and makes it your usual revenge based script. On terms of execution and editing, Stone, as always, doesn't hold back on trying new stuffs, but unfortunately in here it backfires vigorously, he fails to keep the tone persistent.

There are few bits well crafted. Few conversation that lures you in, few dialogues that holds you tightly onto your seat, but before you know it, it starts the clock back to zero by contradicting its own methods. The narration is neither adaptive nor gripping, and ticking for more than two hours, the overkill sets in early. It stretches its somewhat good moments to a point where the audience breaks. The emotions are overridden and the characters are undercooked. Its thoughts are platitudes and the turns predictable, it is practically a weaker version of its predecessor, personally I prefer the good old 80's familiar methods.

Douglas is back on the throne and this time he has evolved into a much more mature character. But unfortunately, none of the other characters has the potential to ping-pong back his ace. LaBeouf, the protagonist, doesn't have what it takes to get your hands dirty in this cold and dry profession. The one who has the guts to do so, is underused and that is Brolin in his leather jacket. Mulligan gets a more safe and mellow role to portray Douglas's daughter which she is convincing in. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is a huge swing and a miss, it should have actually slept its way through.