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Starring |
Shia LaBeouf
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Michael Douglas
,
Javier Bardem
,
Josh Brolin
,
Carey Mulligan
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Directed By |
Oliver Stone
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Audio
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Dolby Digital 5.1
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Visuals
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16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen
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Running Time |
127 mins
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UK Release Date |
January 31, 2011
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Genre |
Drama, Thriller
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Our Rating |
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User Rating |
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It’s probably fair to say the world wasn’t exactly crying out for a sequel to 1987’s Wall Street. It’s not that the original was bad but it’s generally one of those films which is more seen as defining a particular time period than as one which people necessarily watch now for entertainment. This sequel’s co-stars, Shia LaBeouf and Carey Mulligan, were barely born when Oliver Stone’s original came out, but with the stock market having endured a few blows to its confidence in the ensuing period and with his own stock as a director having fallen a little too, it’s easy to see why Stone (who directed but didn’t write this one) might want to revisit the subject of one of his most successful outings.
LaBeouf plays Jake, a young Wall Street trader, similar to Charlie Sheen’s character in the first film but dating the estranged daughter, Winnie (Mulligan), of one Gordon Gekko (Douglas, of course). Older and greyer and touting a book entitled “Is Greed Good?”, Gekko now seems a far cry from the charismatic pinstripe shirt wearing antihero of the first film. After spending the last eight years of the 20th century in prison, he now seems to less interested in profit than in being a prophet warning against the excesses of capitalism ,beginning one speech to younger audience: “You’re all pretty much fucked”. With the film opening in 2008, Gekko’s warnings soon seem to be being proven right. Against a backdrop of economic freefall, can Jake succeed in his Wall Street battles with Gekko and rival trader Bretton James (Brolin) while also winning over Winnie, a girl who hates Wall Street and her own father?
The main problem here is that high finance (like computing) is a difficult subject to make visually interesting no matter how many flashy graphics you use. Another issue is that LeBeouf having played the son of one 80s icon (Indiana Jones) lacks the acting chops to play the prospective son-in-law of another (Gekko). One scene in which he attempts to persuade Mulligan’s Winnie into one dodgy deal by evoking Captain America is particularly excruciating.
But Douglas, reprising his most famous role, almost makes it worthwhile. The accompanying short ‘Gordon Gekko is Back’ featurette is actually quite interesting, analysing the appeal of a character who despite supposedly being villainous unintentionally ended up attracting many young cinemagoers to a career on the markets. The left wing Oliver Stone bizarrely claims he didn’t mind this as “most people I find on Wall Street are actually pretty solid”.
But at the end of the day this is unlikely to capture the popular imagination like the first film did.
Overall Verdict: It’s good to see Douglas as Gordon Gekko again but ultimately this is fatally dull. Money may never sleep but you might well do before the end.
Special Features:
Gordon Gekko Is Back Featurette
Reviewer: Chris Hallam
