For months, the buzz over the newest “Wall Street” film has been intense. Lots of individuals have been waiting for “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps”. The stock market crash within the 1980s was the inspiration for the 1st film. Comparable events coincide with the sequel. Michael Douglas returns as Gordon Gekko, and it is set within the real estate crisis of 2008. There is a popular thread in both films. Unbridled greed and unethical dealings within the realm of high finance leading to disaster.
The return of ‘Wall Street’
The real estate crisis of 2008 is the setting for the 2nd film, as the stock exchange crash of the 1980s was the setting of the first. 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. The iconic role earned Michael Douglas an Oscar. Gekko starts giving lectures to students, and then decides to help his daughter’s fiancé, played by Shia LeBeouf, to bring down a corrupt hedge fund manager. The movie, erroneously referred to as “Wall Street 2,” is designed to be a story of redemption.
The actual Wall Street
People that work on Wall Street are aware that it is just a movie. A recent op-ed within the Wall Street Journal by Martin Fridson says the film is good for conveying the outrage, the actual causes of the crash are more complex. An anonymous corporate attorney, as outlined by ABC, said that the film is fine as entertainment, but cannot be taken seriously as a critique of real events. Hollywood takes license with historical events, which isn’t exactly a secret. Many events in history, that were really very complex, were bent for the sake of sensation. Some Wall Street insiders that served as technical advisers for the film lamented that director Stone did not touch on other components of the crash.
Poor examples can wreck the lot
There is some truth within the cliché that a bad apple ruins a bundle. It is kind of a shame. Actual Wall Street traders and administrators are not the evil hounds they’re made out to be. In fact, the majority is highly ethical and work incredibly hard. That said, that sort of thing does not sell tickets or magazines unfortunately. The movie “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” would be dull if that was the subject.
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/
