Falling Stocks, Fighting Fraud

Is Greed Good?, the title of Gordon's Gekko's book, chronicling his investigation of bad business practices inhibiting the growth of the economy, forms the basis of the plot for Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. Acknowledging the downward spiral of the economy, Gekko blames both unscrupulous CEOs and an insatiable society. This proves to be quite interesting in it's connection to the current American economy and the best parts of the film act as an educator for one quite unknowledgable with the economic downturn. Otherwise, the story follows a quite formulaic revenge-seeking-wrongs-will-be-righted outline.


Jake Moore (LeBouf), an up and coming stock broker, finds himself working for a company on the verge of bankruptcy. Overnight the company seems to go from bustling to broke. His boss and mentor, Louis Zabel (Langella), finds himself turning to The Fed to negotiate a bailout only to be met with fierce opposition and a disappointing stock price from which he is to rebuild his company. It is at that meeting we are introduced to rival businessman and villian, Bretton James (Brolin) who seems to have a history with Zabel that has left the two at odds. With the news of his company's demise much too hard to bear, Zabel throws himself in front of the subway on his way to work the next morning. Convinced that someone set Zabel up for failure, Jake begins his mission to bring down the person responsible for the bankruptcy and Zabel's suicide.


In the midst of this disaster, Gordon Gekko (Douglas) finds himself recently released from prison with a cold reception from his daughter, Winnie (Mulligan). While in prison he wrote a book, now calls himself a reformed businessman and is on a college tour to promote his ideas against the greed of America.


Jake and Winnie happen to be engaged. Jake contacts Gordon in secret, takes advice to bring Zabel justice, and begins a barter system: business advice in exchange for reconciliation with Winnie. It seems that Winnie is all Gordon has left and all he wants is a relationship with her. All the while that same old glimmer in Gordon Gekko's eye shines underneath his reformed soul, leaving Winnie questioning whether he can be trusted. Jake gets caught up in the game just like a young Bud Fox did years ago and soon is unable to see how he has compromised the life he and Winnie share. The film wants audiences to ask whether Gekko is capable of changing his ways and if Jake will go down with him.

It's pretty easy to see what this film has in store for its characters, but the familiarity of a suffering American economy resonates with a current Wall Street and public. The movie is timely in it's representation of business in decline, albeit with story and not hard facts. Both Langella and Douglas' perfomances are highlights, the former for his portrayal of a depressed with no where to turn businessman and the latter for the classic hijinks of a tried and true Mr. Gekko.

**.5/****