Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

As a huge fan of both Gordon Gekko and everything he stands for, I am completely baffled by why this movie isn't hitting theaters here in the States until September 30th?! (It’s practically the end of the year already! 2010!)... unless I’m totally misreading the situation. The film has already played at the Cannes Film Festival, and they’ve been advertising it in theaters like they're clueless—seriously, twice in the last three weeks I've gone to the cinema and saw it listed. Why wait until late September?! By then, I’ll probably have downloaded it 792 times and absolutely ruined the experience for myself. Hold on, let me drop a few emojis that perfectly capture my reaction when I saw the news 🙂 🙂 🙂 🤦 :2up: 🙂 😠 And finally, I have to share what I consider the most legendary dialogue in the entire film. Forget those tired clichés like "lunch is for wimps"; this is easily the best part of the whole movie:

(Fox calls Gekko on the phone after pulling off a scheme to screw him over)

Gekko: Fox, Where the hell are you?! I am losing millions. ... You got me in this airline, now you sure's the hell get me out of this, or your only job you'll ever have on Wall Street is sweeping it! You hear me Fox?
Fox: You told me don't get emotional about stock, Gordon. Don't. The bid is 16 1/2 and going down. As your broker, I advise you to take it-
Gekko: Yeah? Well, you take it! .... Right in the ass, you fuckin' scumbag cocksucker!
Fox: ... It's two minutes to close, Gordon. What do you want to do? Decide.
Gekko: Dump it.

So, the premiere is today...
I caught an interview with Michael Douglas and honestly, he doesn't look great. Cancer really took its toll on him. I saw he’s still filming something, but he’s heading off for treatment now. He's 66.
The original movie was filmed back in 1987 when Douglas was 43 and at the absolute peak of his game—he even snagged an Oscar for the role.
In the film, there's an 8-year gap between the first and second parts, though in reality, it's been 23 years. I saw a scene where they hand him back a cell phone he turned in before going to prison, and man, that thing is massive.
It's just a clear sign of how much times have changed.
To be blunt, I doubt the sequel will be half as good as the original, but it’ll be interesting to compare the economy then versus now. Plus, seeing all those things that landed Gekko in jail but are considered totally normal today should be pretty eye-opening.

Jacob Chavez6 said:As someone who actually respects the whole Gordon Gekko legacy, I’m completely lost on why this movie doesn't hit US theaters until September 30th. It's basically late 2010 at this point... unless I'm missing something huge. The film already played at the Cannes Film Festival, and they've been advertising it everywhere like it's some big deal (I swear, twice in the last three weeks I've seen it listed in theater schedules), so why the wait until the end of September? By then, I'll probably have downloaded it 792 times and totally ruined the experience for myself. Let me just find a few emojis that capture my mood seeing this news 🙂 🙂 🙂 🤦 :2up: 🙂 😠

It seems like there's a lot you're misunderstanding here:

Release dates..

So, we aren't actually lagging behind on the release by much—just a few days.

It's already playing at Cannes? Well, yeah, because that was the world premiere—a festival screening. 🤣 Besides, you won't be able to just download it and ruin the vibe; if you try to find something in the next few days, you'll likely just end up with some low-quality bootleg version with terrible dubbing.😉

'Movie Trailer

SPOILER!

For Your Consideration (script):

Money Never Sleeps.pdf

What a letdown... I was really hyped for this. I even went back and rewatched the original one just to get in the mood. The concept is solid, but it’s just missing that certain something... honestly, the first movie is way, way better.
I didn't realize Charlie Sheen or Oliver Stone would be showing up, so that was a nice surprise.

Well, look at that, there’s actually a thread for this. 🙂


IMDb
Movie Trailer
Script (.pdf download)

Set against a backdrop where the global economy is basically teetering on the edge of a cliff, we follow a young Wall Street broker (Shia LaBeouf) and a disgraced former corporate titan, Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas), who are both on a mission: one wants to warn the financial world about the looming collapse, while the other is trying to figure out who actually pulled the trigger on his mentor. Don't let the basic synopsis fool you—Gordon Gekko is back! 😍 Most critics (mostly the American variety) weren't exactly thrilled with this one. Honestly, screw the critics; I thought it was a great watch. There’s just something massive about watching Michael Douglas (God bless him, he’s fighting a hell of a battle in his own life right now) inhabit this indestructible cinematic icon—this symbol of the archaic 80s, the financial devil, and a prophet all rolled into one. You can listen to his legendary "Greed is good" speech in its entirety here, or check out the video here:

“Greed, if you want my honest opinion, is good,” is Gekko's iconic line that perfectly captures what climbing the corporate ladder felt like thirty years ago. Michael Douglas snagged an Oscar for the role, and even today, Gordon Gekko remains one of the top ten anti-heroes in movie history. Back when the recession hit, reporters at press conferences and in interviews would often stop asking Michael Douglas questions as himself and start addressing him as if he were Gordon Gekko. Things Gekko said in the 1987 film have been echoed by politicians, CEOs, and celebrities alike; even a former US leader once referred to people as "the children of Gordon Gekko" during a speech. He was talking about the crisis, pointing out how we failed to learn from the ideology that greed is a virtue, and that we’re still cleaning up the mess left behind by the "children of Gordon Gekko" in the 21st century. "Wall Street" caused an absolute stir in 1987, defining an entire era of businessmen, corporate policy, and the whole business landscape as we knew it. That "curse of Wall Street" never really stopped haunting the actual Wall Street, which probably isn't even mad about Gekko's return.

The truth is, the first half of the movie is pretty confusing—is it actually possible that Gekko has become a decent, moral guy? He tries so hard to be good, it’s almost pathetic. Is he rehabilitated? At one point, he even says: Movie Quote. Like, what the hell? What happened to the old logic of: Time is money, without the follow-up You can always make more money, but you can't make more time? Is it a total character transformation? Not really; he's just waiting for the next opening. And when that "opportunity" finally shows up, you end up feeling incredibly sad and happy at the same time: the new Gekko is dead, and the old one is back (which is sad because he’s stepping over his own blood and flesh to get there). Then again, the very end of the movie contradicts that too. I get why Roger Ebert said:

I honestly wish it had been more aggressive. It needed more teeth, more pure outrage. Maybe Oliver Stone's gut feeling is right and American audiences just aren't quite prepared for that level of intensity yet. It’s like they haven't had their fill of Greed is good just yet.

I'm actually pretty happy with Oliver Stone's direction here; the film looks stunning—the cinematography is phenomenal, capturing a sense of visual chaos in the best possible way—and the editing is absolutely manic, paired with a top-tier soundtrack. Langella is brilliant as Zabel (that brief, intense moment at the start really lands), and Josh Brolin is his usual stellar self playing Bretton James: 'Unprofitable? I don't even know what that means' 🤣. As for Shia LaBeouf, I honestly couldn't picture him as an actor until this movie. Things have changed, and the kid killed it in this role. Carey Mulligan is just okay as Winnie Gekko. The supporting cast is fantastic, especially old man Eli Wallach with that ridiculous scene he has. Even the script holds up, packed with catchy oneliners, like when Gekko tells James: 'If you stop lying about me, I'll stop telling the truth about you.' 🙏

pathological case
lose
passable
solid
very good [x]
excellent
masterpiece

Timothy Cox2 said:I didn't realize Charlie Sheen would show up, nor would Oliver Stone, so that was a pleasant surprise

Bud Fox!



In my humble opinion, Charlie Sheen's minute-long cameo works really well. If nothing else, it shows he actually learned a few things from his mentor in the interim. 😁

By the way, Oliver Stone also repeated his cameo (Trading Floor) from the original, which personally didn't do much for me here.

Christian Taylor3 said:Bud Fox!



Honestly, Charlie Sheen's minute. Cameo. It works surprisingly well. If nothing else, he managed to pick up a few things from his mentor in the process. 😁

By the way, Oliver Stone decided to run it back. Cameo. In the original, he really wasn't anything special on the Trading Floor.

Bud Fox proves that "Greed is good" is the whole point; everyone’s just a hustler enjoying their own little score.

The way he sold off Blue Star—where his old man used to work—is exactly the kind of move Gordon Gekko would have pulled. Bud Fox just had a slightly better moral compass; he modernized the firm first and then cashed out. After all that fighting to keep the place alive during the takeover, he’s finally reaping the rewards of the sale, though honestly, it might be more accurate to say he enjoyed it right up until the crisis hit.

What a transformation of both character and craft. Honestly, that’s the most poignant moment in the entire film.

The movie is solid—actually, it’s pretty great. It doesn't follow the original closely, but this sequel works as a smart pivot. Honestly, it's a nice change of pace compared to the usual junk playing in American theaters right now. (Except for that Devil movie.)

The cast is solid. Shia LaBeouf was alright, though I think he could have delivered more.

Michael Douglas is great, but you can really see him fighting his own health battles in real life.😢

Josh Brolin, thumbs up.👍

A little something from Gekko. Her acting is solid enough, though she struggles with her expressions—it’s hard to tell if she’s about to cry, laugh, or just stare blankly. Her emotional range is basically the Steven Seagal emotional chart.

Eli Wallach in "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly"—definitely a thumbs up from me.

The soundtrack is killer, and the cinematography is top-tier—that domino sequence was easily my favorite part.

8/10. Short and sweet. I could probably write a whole manifesto on this, but honestly, I just can't be bothered. 🙂

Definitely worth a watch, though you really should see the first one first.

The first movie is just nothing but mindless Oliver Stone propaganda, so I can already imagine what this sequel is going to be like.

The first one is absolutely fantastic, but that second one? It’s an absolute disaster.

Grace Hernandez59 said:The first one was absolutely brilliant, but the second? Well, it was a total disaster from start to finish.

😢
Is it really that bad?

Grace Hernandez59 said:The first one was absolutely stellar, but the second? Well, it was a total disaster.

😢
Is it really that bad?

Grace Hernandez59 said:The first one was great, but the second is just a total disaster.

A total disaster? What are we even talking about here? 😕

I honestly don't get how people on this forum can't see that posts like this are completely useless; is it really that much to ask—even if it's just one long, rambling sentence—to actually say something meaningful about the movie, even if you hated it? 🤷

Christian Taylor3 said:Show me what you've got, guys! What's the verdict? 😕

Honestly, I just don't get it. How can people on this forum—or anyone, really—not realize that posts like these are completely pointless? Is it seriously that much of an effort to just write one single, expanded sentence about the movie? Even if you absolutely hated it, just say so! Give us some actual substance! 🤷

I’m not even going to bother commenting on why the first part works so well. As for the second half? It’s just dragged out, occasionally pathetic, and honestly pretty boring—it feels more like an action flick made for elementary school kids. Personally, I didn't care for it one bit, and hey, nobody has to agree with me! But the real tragedy here is when studios try to chase old glory through sequels. These kinds of experiments usually end up being a total fiasco, and in my opinion, that’s exactly what happened here.

Jason Johnson35 said:😢
is it really that bad?

Well, if you ask me, absolutely! I've loved so many of his films in the past, but this one was just such a massive letdown. 😢 I kept waiting for it to finally show up—thinking, "Okay, here comes a decent movie to break up all this Hollywood junk they're churning out lately"—but in the end... 😢

Just caught the premiere, so I figured I’d jump on here and drop my thoughts.

It's a decent enough flick, and honestly, it works pretty well as a sequel.
It’s definitely a step down from the original—and yeah, let’s just call it the first movie now—but that doesn’t mean it’s trash; like I said, it’s just okay. The plot holds up, and I thought the whole concept was executed pretty smoothly.
Now, could it have been better? Oh, absolutely. My biggest gripe is definitely that final scene—the ending. In my opinion, the whole thing would’ve hit way harder if it had ended on a dark note instead of a positive one. I mean, Gordon Gekko is a bad guy, right? He managed to drive a wedge between them, playing everyone like a fiddle and basically nuking their future. To me, that would have been a much more powerful way to wrap things up.

As for the cast, they were alright. Michael Douglas... I mean, do I even need to go there? He’s incredible, just like he was in the first one. Shia LaBeouf isn't really my favorite guy, but he was fine, though he was nowhere near as intense as Charlie Sheen was in the original (man, Charlie absolutely crushed it in that first movie). Carey Mulligan was good—actually, she was great—it’s just that she didn't seem quite as sexy to me as she did in An Education, maybe it was the hair or something, who knows? But her acting was solid, no doubt about it. And Motherfucker Charlie Sheen! Ugh, I love that guy so much; he’s such a fantastic actor, and even though he was only on screen for a minute, he still felt more impactful than Shia was for the entire film.
The directing was top-notch, too; Oliver Stone really showed why he's a master at this.

All in all, it’s a good movie, but it’s nothing groundbreaking, and it definitely lacks the punch of the original.

My rating for overall quality: 6/10
My rating for the drama genre: 6/10

I caught Wall Street 2 a few weeks back. Before that, I gave the original Wall Street another watch—and honestly? Wall Street is way better. People call the first one the definitive movie for the 80s vibe, but this sequel just fails to land when it tries to capture what today’s world feels like.
The second film feels more like an expensive—though admittedly high-quality and well-made—soap opera.
It's basically just a continuation of the story, purely to see what happens to Gekko—who, let's be real, was basically an icon of the 80s financial scene—now that he's out of prison. Sadly, we don't get any of those iconic lines like "Greed is good."
And that bit where he mentions the "NINJA generation"? Not exactly cool.
One highlight, though, is seeing Gekko cross paths with Charlie Sheen's character, who has somehow morphed into everything he absolutely loathed back in the original Wall Street.

Personally, I didn't find it particularly gripping or even remotely interesting, if I'm being honest. If I had to sum up the whole experience in a single thought, I suppose I'd say there is No tight plot; the movie just feels like two separate stories that were never quite successfully woven together into a cohesive whole.

I suppose I find myself nodding along with what was previously mentioned, feeling that perhaps the story really ought to have concluded on a darker note, rather than settling for a positive one.

I suppose I’d land somewhere around a 6/10 on this one, if I had to say.

nimblemarlin6 said:I watched Wall Street 2 a few weeks back. Before that, I rewatched Wall Street. Wall Street 2 is actually much better. People call the first one the definitive movie for the 80s spirit, but this one kind of fails at capturing the current vibe.
The second film feels more like an expensive—though well-made—soap opera.
It’s basically just a sequel to see what happens to Gekko, who was basically an icon of the 80s, after he gets out of prison. Sadly, there isn't any iconic line like "Greed is good."
And when he mentions the "NINJA generation," it just doesn't land. It's not cool.
One decent part is when Gekko runs into Charlie Sheen's character, who turned into everything he used to hate in the original Wall Street.

I guess I feel pretty much the same way. The first movie was focused on business and greed, whereas this one feels a bit sappy with the whole subplot about Gekko's daughter, the young broker, and her conflict with her dad.

On the other hand, I liked seeing Michael Douglas in it. It felt like he was having fun with every scene—really into it, yet totally relaxed. I hope he's doing okay health-wise. The rest of the cast felt pretty forgettable; a month and a half later, I can barely remember them...