Blu-ray Review: Wall Street - Money Never Sleeps (2010)

Since the original Wall Street in 1987, the career of Oliver Stone has been on something of a rollercoaster, from the highs of JFK and Born on the Fourth of July to the almost crippling nadir of Alexander.* Since that epic landed with such a thud, Stone has made low-key efforts World Trade Center and W., neither of which made any great waves, and now he's apparently sunk even further, resorting to dredging up an old success to make a belated sequel. However, this is one delayed sequel where contemporary events warrant its production: the world of the Wall Street trader has transformed beyond all recognition over more than two decades, from the decadent boom of the 1990s to the recent and ongoing financial collapse.

It is during the unprecedented period of market turbulence in 2008 that the events of Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps take place. The real-world relevance is one of the best things that the film has going for it, the glimpse (albeit Hollywood-tinted) behind the curtain of the economic downturn adding a good deal of intrigue and fascination. Hero/villain - depending on your viewpoint - of the original film, Michael Douglas' Gordon Gekko, begins this film having just been released from prison, but he remains very much a supporting, even peripheral, character for most of the running time. The protagonist is Shia LaBeouf's Jake Moore, boyfriend of Winnie Gecko (Carey Mulligan), estranged daughter of Gordon. LaBeouf's largely endearing screen presence helps the fact that he is not granted a clearly defined storyline, which is indeed a problem with the film itself: while engaging with current economic affairs, a clear narrative is largely absent, leaving the film at times sluggish and meandering. Dialogue-heavy scenes come along in quick succession, which are often bewildering and lacking in the sort of wit that, say, Aaron Sorkin could bring to liven up jargon-strewn exchanges for the layman.

Money Never Sleeps is at its best in the first hour, when Stone seems to be getting his teeth into a subject with more passion than he has since the early '90s. The pacing is effective and the early scenes where LaBeouf and Douglas meet crackle with energy, particularly a dialogue scene on a subway train where tension is generated simply through line delivery and nifty editing. Also, Frank Langella as a weary old hand adds pathos to the early going. a fiery Josh Brolin proves to be a very good, believable antagonist, and the scenes in mahogany-panelled Federal Reserve boardrooms evoke the meetings of the Five Families in The Godfather. Later on, sadly, the film seems to lose steam somewhat, becoming more convoluted than intricate, leading to a finale that goes on about fifteen minutes past what could have been an effective, if cynical, end point. Still, the interplay between the characters remains entertaining.

*A film that is nowhere near as bad as its reputation, but I've already discussed that elsewhere.



Release Information
Country: UK / Region: B / Version: N/A / Discs: 1 / Distributor: 20th Century Fox

Presentation
Very good: a wholly satisfying, crisp image retaining a fine grain and deep contrast, and a surprisingly enveloping DTS-HD track to go with it.

Extras
It's evident that a lot of effort has gone into the selection of bonuses here, making the disc worth a punt despite reservations about the film. An hour's worth of featurettes cover the history of Wall Street itself, the original film, the boom and bust, and the making of this long-gestating sequel in sometimes fascinating depth. There's a whole heap of deleted scenes (30 mins), which give an interesting glimpse into the editorial process. The best part of the disc is Oliver Stone's superb commentary - another insightful, thoughtful discussion from the talkative director.



Summary
A rare thriller that manages to engage and excite without any violence, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps isn't quite a return to Oliver Stone's previous highs but it's an encouraging sign. Worth a watch, especially for those with a passing interest in investment banking, but it doesn't quite sustain its conviction to the end.