Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

(Image credit: Barry Wetcher SMPSP)

Michael Douglas is back as corporate raider Gordon Gekko

Michael Douglas is back as corporate raider Gordon Gekko. With his slicked-back hair and spiky catchphrases, douglas' character perfectly captured the late-1980s mood of 'Greed is good' when Oliver Stone's business drama Wall Street appeared in 1987. More than two decades on, Gekko's still a great character, but in Stone's belated sequel he's playing second fiddle to Shia LeBeouf's ambitious young trader. LeBeouf wants to marry Gekko's estranged daughter (Carey Mulligan) and is seeking revenge against Josh Brolin's sleek hedge fund manager for the downfall of his firm in the financial crash of 2008. It's a shame that Stone has chosen this family-melodrama-cum-revenge-thriller storyline and passed up the opportunity to skewer those responsible for the global economic meltdown. Still, the quality cast makes it well worth watching.