"Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" is a movie about the fast-pace world of the financial district, Wall Street, in New York City. The characters include Gordon Gekko, played by Michael Douglas, who has just been released from jail. Gekko is now forced to live in a world he was once in control of as a financial titan. Upon his release, Gekko attempts to warn business leaders about the impending economic downturn and even writes a book, but is unsuccessful. Gekko then decides he would rather spend his time trying to reconnect with his daughter, Winnie. Winnie is estranged from her father and is reluctant to rebuild a relationship with him because she blames Gekko for the suicide of her brother, Rudy, who appears in the original "Wall Street" movie. Gekko then decides to become friends with Winnie's fiancé Jacob, played by Shia LaBeouf, to regain her trust keeping his true motives hidden. However, Winnie is reluctant to reconcile with her father because she does not trust him.
    The director is Oliver Stone who is famous for his films containing controversial subjects. Stone has been involved in many famous movies including "Scarface" (1982) and "The Joy Luck Club" (1993). The movie is a sequel to the 1987 film "Wall Street" which did very well.
    Anything by Oliver Stone is usually greatly anticipated. Everyone enjoys controversy. "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" premiered September 24, 2010 and has so far earned $35,778,429 in the US and Canada. The firm for which Gordon Gekko's character worked for was a fictionalized version of Bear Stearns and Lehman brothers. The movie offers interesting views of how greed propels the financial world as wealthy tycoons get together an stomp all over those that initially made them wealthy in the name of increased profits.  The movie is also enjoyable for those who loved the first because many old cast members reappear in the sequel.
    The main critique the movie suffered from, according to many internet sources such as movieinsider.com or azcentral.com, was that the movie was great during the scenes revolving around Gekko and the financial interactions but it became boring when the romance between Winnie and Jacob was on screen. Many claimed the movie was too centered on the romance rather than revealing anything worthwhile about the inside workings of America's financial institutions.
    Some interesting facts about the movie include Shia LaBeouf's personal interest in stocks and the market. In preparation for the movie and to learn about finance he purchased stocks and watched and traded them as a true finance tycoon would do. He even turned a profit on several of his speculations and began studying for the Series 7 exam and later earned a broker license. Carey Mulligan, who plays Winnie in the film, is famous for her short, pixie-cut hair. In the film Stone encouraged Mulligan to wear a headpiece but she refused because she did not feel like herself when she wore it. Stone trusted her decision and so Winnie has a pixie-cut.