Whether it was the paper-cut sharpness of the script, or a superior performance given by Michael Douglas – probably the two combined – but despite the obvious villainous traits of Gordon Gekko, he still managed to walk away from 1987’s Wall Street with a twisted admiration from audiences around the globe. He may well have epitomised all that was wrong regarding the excess of the eighties, but boy did he carry it off well.

Although director Oliver Stone is one to address similar themes in his films, he’s certainly not one for sequels. The fact is, if it wasn’t for the crash of 2008, Gekko would have remained in the eighties forever more. However, those particular historical events almost seemed to chant his name and infamy right out of retirement.

It’s 23 years on since Gekko first uttered the line “greed, for want of a better word, is good”, and although the physical landscape of Wall Street may have changed, the drive for making money is still there for all the world to see.

Making a name for himself on the trading floor is Jake (Shia LaBeouf). He may well be making huge amounts of money, but at least he’s doing it for a good cause; he’s attempting to increase the investment in a worthy green project that hopes to harness hydro power as a viable source of alternative energy.

But when a tragedy strikes his investment bank, Jake turns his attention to whom he believes to be responsible for it, one Bretton James (Josh Brolin).

Meanwhile, in his private life, all appears to be rosier than rosy. Despite all the distractions on offer to a wealthy young man, Jake only has eyes for Winnie (Carey Mulligan). She is motivated politically rather than financially, but they’re still very much on love. Winnie is highly suspicious of the banking world, and all that inhabit it; this may have something to do with her family background, as her surname is...Gekko.

Gordon hasn’t been much of a hands-on dad in the past however – prison had its part to play in that particular scenario – but even though he’s been released for some years now, Winnie is in no rush for a family reunion. After seeing him on the news however, promoting his new book Is Greed Good?, Jake has other ideas. But as well-meaning as his intentions might be, just as it is to invite a vampire to cross your threshold, letting Gordon Gekko into your life can have serious consequences.

With the fact that the financial market is not one to learn from previous harsh lessons, a return to the scruples-free world of Wall Street is a completely understandable one. And if one character was bigger than just the one film, it’s Gekko. It’s disappointing then to see that he mostly plays second fiddle in this sequel to LaBeouf’s character. Although this dynamic serves the story, It’s a little like watching Ghandi, but with Ben Kingsley doing a five minute cameo at the end as the great sheet-wearing one. It just doesn’t make much sense.

This is particularly pertinent when you consider that the jury is still out on the young transforming actor. He may well interact well enough with robots in disguise, but when it comes to flesh and bone, well, he’s no Brando.

Mulligan also appears miscast. It’s not that she does anything wrong, it’s more of a case that there’s very little of anything for her to do here. The most that’s asked of her is to cry a bit, which isn’t that much of a stretch for an actress of her talent.

This sequel then, much like the original, is all about the men, not the boys. Douglas is just effortless as Gekko; He just knows exactly how he ticks, and hits every (bank) note to perfection. But there’s great support from legends Frank Langella and Eli Wallach - who almost manages to steal the whole show on his own.

Because of them, it’s a worthy sequel. Stone also proves once again that he knows what to do once he’s behind a camera, as long as he stays clear of anything involving the Persian empire that is.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps may not be saying anything new regarding its indictment of the financial sectors, but in its resurrection of Gekko, it’s bang on the money.