Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)

Oliver Stone directed the American drama film Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010). After serving time for insider trading and securities fraud, former corporate raider Gordon Gekko is released from prison in 2001. In 2008, he begins promoting his book ‘Is Greed Good?’, warning of an impending economic downturn. Winnie, Gekko’s estranged daughter, runs a non-profit news website and is dating Jacob ‘Jake’ Moore, a top prop trader at Keller Zabel Investments (KZI). Jake is a protege of KZI managing director Louis Zabel and raises funds for Dr. Masters’ fusion research project that aims to create clean energy. Additionally, Jake financially supports his mother Sylvia, who has left her nursing job to speculate in residential real estate. At the beginning of Gekko’s predicted downturn, KZI’s stock takes a major hit, losing more than half its value. Louis Zabel makes efforts to secure a bailout for the company from other Wall Street banks.

However, he is thwarted by Bretton James, head of competing firm Churchill Schwartz (Church), whom KZI had turned down for assistance during the dot-com bubble years. Distraught over the situation, Zabel tragically ends his life by jumping in front of a subway train. Meanwhile, Jake is filled with grief and decides to propose to Winnie, who accepts. In an attempt to seek justice for KZI and redeem himself in Winnie’s eyes, Jake attends one of Gekko’s lectures and introduces himself. Gekko reveals that James’ actions against KZI began when he spread false reports about their toxic debt. Seeking vengeance against James, Jake strikes a deal with Gekko: he will work on reconciliation between Winnie and her father while Gekko gathers intel to destroy James for his wrongdoing towards KZI and past betrayal of Gekko.