“CLIMBING THE MONEY TREE”
Starring: Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf, Frank Langella, Carey Mulligan, and Josh Brolin
Directed by: Oliver Stone
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for brief strong language and thematic elements
Genre: Drama
Running Time: 2 hrs 16 min
Release Date: September 24
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
By John Delia
It’s not often that a good drama comes to the screen that’s able to captivate without car chases, murder or action sequences to keep the audience entertained. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps put on a great show that held my attention from the opening scene to the final touching conclusion. However, that said, if you are going to see this film, check out the original, as there’s minimal character development of some of the key characters here.
Coming off an eight-year prison sentence, Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) heads back to the world of the stock market where he was a king pin before getting busted for short trading. Gekko’s relationship with his daughter Winnie (Carey Mulligan) in shreds, no visible income and only his wits and instincts for the market, he starts calling in favors to find a way up the ladder again. Up and coming stock trader Jacob (Shia LaBeouf), Gekko’s daughter’s fiancée, sees a chance to get in league with the former market boss and meets with him. Together they form a plan for success. When Gekko takes a stab at redemption for his eight years of losses, Jacob finds out that there is more that meets the eye when it comes to business.
Dramatic acting has to be strong, capture audience attention and deliver believable characters. Douglas and LaBeouf are amazingly good in their rolls as the two men who hatch a plan with only one winner. Although at times you can see them fighting each other for domination of the screen, the storyline evens this problem, especially as it gets deeper into the redemption phase.
Director Oliver Stone doesn’t do any more than he did in the first Wall Street. He keeps his characters charming, witty and then devious as they elbow each other along to the interesting ending. I liked the way Stone spends at least a little time in letting the audience know some of the mechanisms of the market and how it exists, as most viewers are unaware of the inner workings.
In support there is one major stand out, Frank Langella who plays Jacob’s initial boss Lewis Zable. He’s Jacob’s mentor keeping him focused on his job while moving up. When Zable’s company takes a hit, some of the best acting I’ve ever seen from Langella gets unveiled.
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is rated PG-13 for brief strong language and thematic elements.
FINAL ANALYSIS:Â A tense drama that entertains. (4 of 5)