DVD Review: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

Even if you saw this movie only for the cuteness of Shia 'Transformers' LeBeouf, you must have taken away something of director Oliver Stone's recreation of iconic villain Gordon Gekko, 23 years after he first announced with gusto in the first film: "Greed is good

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Director: Oliver Stone
Cast: Michael Douglas, Shia LeBeouf
Price: Rs 499
Label: Excel Home Video
***

Even if you saw this movie only for the cuteness of Shia 'Transformers' LeBeouf, you must have taken away something of director Oliver Stone's recreation of iconic villain Gordon Gekko, 23 years after he first announced with gusto in the first film: "Greed is good." How those words rang ominously true in the wake of the financial crisis is what the special features on this DVD give you.

'Commentary by Director Oliver Stone' is an introduction to the worldview that prompted Stone to make the movie both times. Unlike most commentaries, this doesn't just tell you why a scene was shot a particular way. You actually see why Stone came back to this subject.

Little things like how the economic crisis is a fallout of the mini Gordon Gekkos that populate capitalist economies today, as well as the need to address a new structure of poweru00a0-- "Being a millionaire is no longer good enough, you need to be a billionaire,' as he puts itu00a0-- put the issues this film addresses into perspective.
Stone also offers an explanation for the over-simplified scenes with the Federal Reserve Branchu00a0-- "It was the only way to show people what goes on behind those close doors, to show them how the Branch is under pressure to nail out banks that are simply too big to fail," he says.

'The return of Gordon Gekko' is a look at the character's evolution and impact. "So much of American culture and the mistakes made today are because of the children of Gordon Gekko," is how critic Godfrey Cheshire puts it. Yet, as he and the others recall, Gekko remained immensely popular, a villain that actually made people quit their jobs to join Wall Street.

Gekko with his ruthlessness and single-minded approach to money actually predicted and brought to the fore underlying values manifested in the capitalist system of these intervening decades between the two films.

It's this kind of wholesome look that goes beyond lighting techniques is what makes this DVD a keeper, if you loved the film.