► Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps | B

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is a solid film but fails to live up to 1987's original Wall Street.

The film follows Jake Moore, played wonderfully by Shia LaBeouf (Transformers), a 24-year-old energy trader who works for the prestigious firm Keller Zabel. When the company goes under and his mentor, played by Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon), commits suicide, Jake decides to get revenge on the man who made it happen. He enlists the help of the recently emancipated, Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas, Wonder Boys), whose daughter he is about to marry.

The casting for the movie was absolutely perfect. Shia LaBeouf plays a young, ambitious trader flawlessly and truly shows talent beyond his years. Carey Mulligan (An Education) complements him very well and shows that she can hold her own against Hollywood heavyweights like Douglas and Langella. Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men, Milk) is a phenomenal villain, showing that he can play egotistical and money-hungry with ease. Douglas brings back the man everyone loved to hate in the first film and shows that he hasn't missed a step over the last 20 years.

The plot of the movie was interesting but hard to follow for people who have no knowledge of Wall Street and the stock market. There was a lot of jargon and technical terms that made the film confusing at times. Despite this, the movie flowed well. The plot also had a lot of unexpected action. This is culminated in a motorcycle race between LaBeouf and Brolin. These two in particular had amazing on-screen chemistry, which was highlighted in a few high-tension scenes. Though many films are very predictable, Wall Street had a few twists that kept the audience captivated throughout.

Shot on location in New York, the film shows a real depiction of the city and Wall Street. However, some aspects of the movie weren't as believable. For example, LaBeouf's character seemed to interact with CEOs of billion-dollar companies a little too easily. Though this is farfetched, it advanced the plot, making the film have more of a David vs. Goliath feel. This makes it all the more interesting to see the dynamic between LaBeouf and Brolin.

Despite some slightly unbelievable parts and the stock market jargon, the film was interesting and exciting. Though the sequel fails to match the original, it is definitely worth seeing.