Blu-Ray Review: Oliver Stone’s ‘Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps’

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CHICAGO – Remember when every Oliver Stone movie caused waves? There was a time when he was a love-him-or-hate-him director who provoked conversation with every outing. Perhaps the most interesting thing about his recent work like “World Trade Center” and “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,” recently released on Blu-ray and DVD, is how little impact it has had. He seems to be making movies most people like but no one loves or hates. The sequel to one of his best films is a good drama but doesn’t really resonate like the man used to do every time out.

Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0

To be fair, “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” made over $130 million worldwide and earned star Michael Douglas a Golden Globe nomination, which he could end up winning if the sentimental vote goes strongly enough, so it was far from a bomb. And most critics recognized that there were things to like here and were just angry about them being held back by one of the worst endings of the year. Ignore the stupid final scenes and watch it for the performances and the signs of the once-visionary director helped by a fantastic Blu-ray release.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on December 21st, 2010.
Photo credit: Fox Home Video

Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) wasn’t just a movie character. He helped define the era of greed in the Oscar-winning “Wall Street” in 1987. In “Money Never Sleeps,” the character returns to a landscape that has increased in scope and collateral damage. Greed hasn’t necessarily changed but its impact has become far more damaging. Even Gekko seems stunned at some of the obscene behavior that led to the bubble bursting in 2008. This is not a standard sequel as much as an update of the terms of financial morality in the new era.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on December 21st, 2010. Photo credit: Fox Home Video

And it mostly works. “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” features strong performances, a smarter script than most critics recognized, and some stylish direction by Stone. It’s his best work since at least “Any Given Sunday” and possibly “Nixon.” It may sound like faint praise but there’s more to like here than there is to hate and, for the majority of its running time, “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” is straight-up entertaining.

Shia LaBeouf effectively plays Jake Moore, an ambitious-but-loyal trader who happens to be dating the daughter (Carey Mulligan) of the legendary Gekko. Douglas returns for a very-funny opening scene in which he’s released from prison in 2001 only to find no one there to pick him up but Gekko then fades into the background as we learn about Jake’s experience during the bursting of the financial bubble. Jake was loyal to Louis Zabel (Frank Langella), a man targeted for takeover by the mega-wealthy Bretton James (Josh Brolin). Rumors about the old-timer’s poor business practices and possible illegal activities have sent his company into freefall.

James buys out Zabel at an insultingly-low stock price and Jake’s mentor jumps in front of a train. Left hanging, Jake finds a new father figure in Gekko, but he’s forced to keep the relationship secret since Gekko’s daughter hates him. Can Jake keep his new relationship with his pending father-in-law secret long enough to watch his future fall into place? Can he really swim in the same pool as Bretton James and Gordon Gekko and expect to keep his morals and sense of justice intact?

Most of “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” crackles with energy and solid pacing. None of the financial speak feels dumbed down and the great cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto (“Brokeback Mountain,” “Babel”) delivers the visual goods, especially in HD. There are a few too many literal metaphors — shots of dominoes fallings, bubbles bursting, a laughable shot of a ghostly Langella — but there’s energy here that was missing from most adult-targeted films of 2010. It’s not perfect but it’s proof that Stone could find perfection again. Maybe he needs to make another sequel.

Special Features:
o Commentary by Director Oliver Stone
o A Conversation with Oliver Stone and the Cast of Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
o Money, Money, Money: The Rise and Fall of Wall Street
o Deleted and Extended Scenes with Optional Commentary by Oliver Stone
o Fox Movie Channel Presents: In Character with Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf, Carey Mulligan, Josh Brolin, and Frank Langella

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com