Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

The once fearless director Oliver Stone seems a little scared of himself and his subject in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. Rather than shredding those most responsible for the financial collapse of 2008, as would the Stone of old, he creates some convoluted arguments about the causes and possible solutions, while trying to give us a kinder, gentler Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas). I need a kinder, gentler Gordon Gekko like I need a Halloween movie where Michael Myers gives candy and smiles to teenagers rather than disemboweling them. The film picks up the story of Gekko after he gets out of jail and writes a book. He meets his future son-in-law (Shia LaBeouf) and tries to get back into his daughter’s (Carey Mulligan) life through him. This results in too much time on Gekko trying to redeem himself, something that just doesn’t play well. Douglas is good in the role, but the material lets him down.