Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is a really, really good movie. It's not quite a great movie, like its predecessor but it is a really good one. Director Oliver Stone proves that he still has what it takes to deliver a strong, compelling, interesting and entertaining film. Stone draws his inspiration from the financial crisis of 2008 and those real life events drive the plot of this film. The look of the movie is also impressive as Stone's vision of New York is beautiful and majestic. The music for the film is equally wonderful with a score by Craig Armstrong and original songs by David Byrne and Brian Eno. Stone has said that 20th Century Fox has been bugging him to make a sequel to his iconic '80s film, "Wall Street," practically for the last twenty years but that he had no interest until 2008 when the financial situation that we found our country in gave him good reason to revisit the character that coined the phase "greed is good" and gave a face to the "trickle down economics" of Regan's '80s.

Gordon Gekko is the perfect vehicle for Stone to use and with his special brand of storytelling he weaves an entertaining story that educates as well. Unlike films from his past such as "JKF" or "Nixon," there are no conspiracy theories here. Stone spells out the greed of the last two decades clearly for us and even if you don't understand all the specifics of how it happened you definitely understand why it happened and who was responsible. The character of Gekko, while certainly an important one in the film is not necessarily the lead and I liked that. He is almost a peripheral character through much of the film, mentoring the actual lead, Shia LaBeouf. But Gordon Gekko is like a shark, swimming in the background and just waiting for the perfect time to come in for the kill. Michael Douglass does a wonderful job of reprising his role all these years later and reminded me of when Paul Newman reprised his role from "The Hustler" in "The Color Of Money." He is posed, sophisticated and deadly. Douglass seems to be taking a special glee in returning to the role that not only earned him an Oscar, but also in many ways has defined his career.

The film begins with the release of Gordon Gekko (a larger than life Michael Douglass) from prison after serving a longer sentence than was initially intended. Gekko quickly learns that it is a brave new world out there and one that the former executive is not prepared for. Fast-forward seven years to 2008 and we meet a young, ambitious stockbroker named Jake Moore played by a surprisingly strong Shia LaBeouf. Jake also happens to be in a serious relationship with Gordon's daughter, Winnie Gekko (Carrie Mulligan), who hates her father and blames him for her brother's suicide. When the crash of '08 begins to happen, Jake is caught off guard and slowly realizes that his mentor, Lewis Zabel (Frank Langella), was involved in some illegal practices. Zabel eventually commits suicide and Jake believes that he was actually set up to take the fall by Bretton James, an evil hedge fund manager played by Josh Brolin.

With no one to turn to for advise, Jake seeks out his future father-in-law, Gordon and introduces himself to him with out Winnie's knowledge. Gekko takes a liking to Jake and offers him a deal, he'll help him take down James and get revenge for Lewis's death if Jake can bring Winnie and him back together. But remember, this is Gordon Gekko we are talking about and lets just say that he has ulterior motives of his own that could result in trouble for both Jake and Winnie. As it turns out, while it was initially Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) who blew the whistle on Gekko in the first film, it was Bretton James, Gordon's former protégé that gave the testimony that put him away for so long. Eventually, Jake goes undercover working for James and with Gordon's help tries to take him down but Jake's friendship with Gordon is beginning to upset Winnie. Now Jake will have to choose what is most important to him the love of Winnie or the love of money?

Mulligan's Winnie has a great line in the film when she is referring to her father. She say's, "That name doesn't mean anything any more." But that is obviously not true in the world of cinema, as Gordon Gekko still resonates with audiences and is a great film character. Stone would not have made this movie if that name didn't still mean something and Gekko is the perfect vehicle here for Stone's commentary on the current economical situations. Douglass is back in rare form and gives a great performance with lines like, "I'll make you a deal. You stop telling lies about me and I'll stop telling people the truth about you." Classic Gekko. As many already know, Charlie Sheen makes a cameo in this movie as his character from the original film, Bud Fox. While the scene between Gekko and Fox his cute, with both characters pretending to have a friendly conversation when they bump into each other at a party, it seemed a little forced and unnecessary. I love the return of Charlie and the way that it links the two films together but I found it to be a bit anticlimactic. I would have preferred that they had found away to really use Bud in the story so that when he returned it would really matter. If the character had been involved with the plot rather than just a throwaway cameo I think that would have resonated better with the audience. That being said, it's always nice to see Charlie Sheen on the big screen.

Josh Brolin gives an excellent post-"Jonah Hex" performance proving that even gifted actors can make a mistake every once in a while. Brolin plays Bretton like a high-powered spoiled brat and balances just the right amount of intelligence and sleaze to pull off the part. Susan Sarandon appears as Jake's equally greedy mother and gives a great performance as always. As does legendary character actor Eli Wallach as an executive on the Federal Reserve board. Mulligan continues to give quality performances on screen with this role as she plays Winnie as a vulnerable girl, scarred by the ghosts of her family's past and trying to move on with her life. LaBeouf has received harsh criticism over the years but I think that he is a very strong actor and gives a very good performance that is quite believable. He builds a character that is bold and very likable, while at the same time holding his own against heavyweights like Douglas, Langella and Brolin.

But it is Douglas's fun and at times heartbreaking performance as Gordon Gekko that once again is worth seeing. He comes alive in the character that he created and brings an inner deepness and maturity to the role that was missing before and could only be achieved by the passing of time. But in the end it is director Oliver Stone's unique vision and political passion that makes Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps worth seeing. Is it as good as the original? No, not quite but it is very close and at the end of the day is a strong movie in of itself. I recommend this film to fans of the original, fans of Stone's work and anyone who is at all fascinated by recent economical events. Although you do need to be a financial wizard at times to understand all the intricacies of the plot, you'll understand enough to enjoy yourself. While the film tries a little too hard to come up with a happy ending, you will be satisfied by the conclusion of the picture. "Wall Street: Money Never Sleep" is a smart, fun and educational film that will captivate you while it tries to teach you something about the harsh realities of the world that we find our selves living in now.