Having seen the first Wall Street back in the 80s and walking away not feeling much about the movie, I was skeptical about appreciating or even enjoying the second one. However, maturity plays a big roll in understanding such a film and therefore it was much easier this time around for me to not only understand but truly appreciate the film.
Here is the quick synopsis: America on top of the game, suddenly the market crashes then the housing bubble bursts and the finger pointing begins, while everyone tries to make a buck. We are of course too familiar with the subject at hand and in a way watching it onscreen doesn’t make any of us feel any better. In fact it is pretty boring.
What saves the film from borderlining a documentary is adding a bit of human touch to it. Director Oliver Stone did an interesting job in relaying that aspect to us by incorporating a young and optimistic couple (Shea LeBeouf and Carey Mullingan) who is forced to do anything in order to survive the mess we have created for them and come out of it with both feet on the ground. On the other hand, he exposes how the top layer lives and behaves during these difficult times and no matter what, see an opportunity to make money any way possible. It would probably be a sad awaking to see the differences in the way people truly behave but unfortunately it is nothing new and something clearly unchangeable.
I do think however, one reason for this movie’s success is seeing what happens to Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) after he comes out of jail for insider trading. It’s funny in the first film, you grew to hate him and in this one you grew to love him. Douglas shines as Gordon Gekko and in my opinion, his performance is the only key factor to the film’s overall success. The rest is just fluff.
I recommend the film for the mature audience and those who have a knack for the stock market and all the business jargon. Otherwise, as a lot of young people I spoke to say, it is pretty boring even if Shea LeBeouf is in it.
B-lot buzz 