When iconic movies get remade or have a sequel produced, the launch is often awaited with a sense of dread and anticipation. The buzz concerning the second “Wall Street” film has just such that air. The film, “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” has been hotly predicted. The original film was launched not long following the stock market crash in the 1980s. Douglas is back as Gekko within the sequel, which takes place midst of the real estate crash of 2008. Each movie is about the perils of avarice in high finance and investment within the wake of financial disasters of successive generations.
’Wall Street’: The Merchants Strike Back
The sequel to the original film takes place in the urgent wake of the housing crash of 2008. What is assumed is that notorious corporate raider Gordon Gekko is just being released from prison, as a result of events from the first film. Gordon Gekko is a legendary character, as it garnered generations of followers and an Oscar for Michael Douglas. It appears his new job is as a lecturer, as he gives talks to business students. The fiancé of Gekko’s daughter in the film, played by Shia LeBeouf, works at an investment financial institution and looks to bring down a corrupt hedge fund manager. It is partly a story of sabotage of the wicked. Nevertheless, the film, nicknamed but not really titled “Wall Street 2,” is also a story of redemption.
The real Wall Street
The movie is just a movie. Most individuals on Wall Street really get that. A recent op-ed in the Wall Street Journal by Martin Fridson says that the movie is good for conveying the outrage, the real causes of the crash are more complex. On the ABC site, a corporate lawyer who works on Wall Street also opined the movie is great entertainment, but little more than that. Dramatic portrayals of historic events often leave out crucial details, for the sake of sensation. The film really employed a fair number of Wall Street insiders as technical advisors. A couple of have lamented that Oliver Stone didn’t treat on the complexities of the market well enough in the movie.
Bad apples
The adage about bad apples spoiling the bunch is true. Many traders and workers on Wall Street are incredibly ethical and work very hard. However, “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” isn’t about them.
Additional reading
ABC News
abcnews.go.com/Business/films-taking-wall-street/story?id=11712654 and page=3
Wall Street Journal
blogs.wsj.com/marketbeat/2010/09/24/a-wall-street-veteran-on-wall-street-2/
