Review of Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010) by Dan T — 07 Mar 2011

'Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps' is a sequel to the 1987 hit film 'Wall Street,' the story of a young man trying to make it big in the stock market with the help of a legendary, ruthless Wall Street player, Gordon Gekko.

If you have never seen the first film, don't worry; you're not missing anything. 'Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps' is just a forced continuation of the original, contrived in an attempt to play off the success of 'Wall Street' and make a couple million dollars to spend on a brand new Bugatti Veyron. This time, however, the film has the help of everyone's favorite actor, Shia LaBeouf, who plays the part of the protagonist, Jacob Moore.

Those who have never seen the original will take pleasure in the novel, original plotline of the sequel and will love the fan-favorite cast. As a fan of the original film, however, I am disappointed in the lack of depth produced in the sequel.

Michael Douglas is once again incredible in his role as Gordon Gekko; unfortunately, he is overshadowed by the photogenic Shia LaBeouf, a vastly-overrated actor who has absolutely no place in a film of this genre. Honestly, I think the forty-five-year old Charlie Sheen, the original Bud Fox, could have played a better role than Shia LaBeouf does.

Another major let-down of the movie is the portrayal of Gordon Gekko: instead of being the evil, mad, sadistic stockbroker he was in the first film, 'Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps' reveals the almost-human side of Gekko. Newcomers to the 'Wall Street' series will love the new Gekko, but as a staunch advocate of the former movie, I feel betrayed. I miss the chilled emotions that run up my spine when I hear the name Gordon Gekko.

'Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps' is honestly not a horrible film, but with a talented cast (excluding the haughty Shia LaBeouf) and an award-winning director like Oliver Stone, I expected better.