Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps
Oliver Stone tackles the new capitalism in “Wall Street : Money Never Sleeps” where he confronts a market economy with the need to have a family. Not as interesting as the original, but a big gulp entertainment that leaves with a knowing smile.
Gekko (Michael Douglas) has paid his debt to society and he comes out of prison. Instead of attempting a comeback in the financial arena, he prefers to forget and write a book that is selling like hotcakes. Until Jacob (Shia LaBeouf) brings him back to reality by asking for advice in fighting to put the wheels to an investor without scruple (Josh Brolin). The young man has a huge advantage in his game to achieve his ends: he is in love with Winnie (Carey Mulligan), the girl that Gekko has not seen for years …
This is the first time that the American filmmaker Oliver Stone revisits one of his own films. With the economic crisis that affected the entire planet, the opportunity was good. After graduating in 1987, the first “Wall Street” was a great success enviable, pushing many people to work in the field of scholarship. With a magnifying glass, the test described with the gloomy climate of investor confidence and cynicism in the market. All through the style of the director of “Scarface” (already in the Stone film screenwriter developing his favorite themes, which have greatly benefited in terms of staging and development of ideas, the contribution of filmmaker Brian de Palma), implying a sentimental support and a look unqualified but still biting this microcosm that can positively or negatively seal many lives.
So it’s no surprise that further incorporates these codes of conduct. Soon Mr. “Platoon” symbiosis his camera to the skin of New York, slipping into the towers where the great of this world are competing for assets. The action takes place in 2008 at the beginning of the crisis that would put several people on the street. The introduction, dynamism, recounts the consequences of this spiral that will spare no one, least of all the main character who will lose his mentor and friend.
From there the hero wants revenge, which prevents the story from reaching its full potential. Although the scenario explores the greed of capitalism and the money that corrupts people with good intentions, the stakes are much lower than they would be ahead of the possibilities of this economic storm as devastating ruthless.
This affects the dialogue and situations that are struggling to rise from the ground. Stone has already talked about this story and he said nothing really new on the subject, recalling that man can not easily change and in this jungle, all shots are good for climbing the social ladder.
Paradoxically, the face of the book, Michael Douglas, is not enough to leave a lasting impression to the audience, as was the case in the first volume which had enabled him to get his hands on an Oscar. When present there is virtually nothing to stop the movie that has a latent fascination. But off-screen, the adventures are much less taste, which is however not the fault of the excellent actors (Carey Mulligan, Josh Brolin, Susan Sarandon, Frank Langella … even Shia LaBeouf is more credible) in place.
Taking advantage of the era of time, “Wall Street – Money Never Sleeps” remains an honorable entertainment, typically Hollywood in his way of showing that it can choose between money and love of his family. This way of moralizing is not new in the mouth of a director who never hesitates to take out the steamroller and the heavy metaphors to make his ideas triumph. That’s what makes the charm of the effort, however, appear pale next to the previous volume. At least Stone never takes itself completely seriously, which allows saving some digressions and many winks who barters subtlety for efficiency.
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