[PIFF] Oliver Stone feels “detachment, irony” to ‘08 crisis

American filmmaker Oliver Stone speaks at a press conference for his film "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" presented as a Gala Presentation at the 15th Pusan International Film Festival held in Busan, South Korea on October 14, 2010. [PIFF]

Oliver Stone may have been criticized by some as having gone soft in his latest film "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" but the 64-year-old filmmaker has said he now feels a level of "detachment and irony" to economic and social crises after seeing several of them throughout his lifetime.

Stone, visiting Busan to attend the 15th Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) where his pic was presented in the Gala Presentation category, made the remark in response to a question on how he felt about reception that the film was ‘not angry enough’ on the 2008 financial meltdown.

In contrast, his 1987 prequel “Wall Street” had won rave reviews by critics for both its realistic and accurate portrayal of the 1980s excess to become a cinematic touchstone for the financial industry.

“I look at this as an older man with some degree of detachment and irony,” he said, counting that he has experienced four bubbles during his lifetime -- the Vietnam War during the late 1960s, the Ronald Reagan administration in the 1980s, the burst of the Internet bubble in the late 1990s and the real estate bubble of 2008.

He then said, “There are culprits and villains and they should have gone to jail but they didn’t. We live in era of no blame and no fault. It is part of our modern disease… Life goes on."

In the new "Wall Street," Michael Douglas reprises his Academy Award-winning role as Gordon Gekko and is joined by actors including Shia LeBoeuf, Josh Brolin and Carey Mulligan.

Gekko is closer to an antihero than a villain in the sequel and attempts to help Wall Street before its imminent stock market crash. Gekko was a wealthy and ruthless corporate raider in the prequel.

"Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" has grossed over 61 million dollars worldwide since opening in theaters in late September this year.

Jessica Kim jesskim@