“Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” joins “The Godfather: Part II,” “Aliens,” “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” and “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” as one of the great cinematic sequels.

After an eight-year prison stint for money laundering, racketeering and securities fraud, Gordon Gekko’s (Michael Douglas) only ambition is to repair his relationship with his estranged daughter, Winnie (Carey Mulligan).

But, of course, soon his ambitions grow.

Behind her back, Gekko forms a relationship with her fiance, Jake (Shia LaBeouf), a young investment banker.

While Jake comes to see Gekko as a mentor, he will ultimately learn the hard way that the master manipulator will stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

“Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” opens just before the housing bubble bursts. The film keeps most of the historical facts, changing the names of those involved.

Don’t worry if you don’t understand all the financial technobabble. This is a character study, not Econ 101. If you can read the emotional cues the film is very good about feeding you, you will know everything worth knowing.

“Money Never Sleeps,” which dances to the same narrative beats as the first film, feels like a genuine continuation of the original story, rather than a parodic spoof.

It is also one of the best-directed films of the year.

Stone has outdone himself. When scenes call for restraint, he shows dazzling control and self-discipline.

When the moment suggests wild abandon, Stone delivers with indulgent, ferocious excess powered by split screens and hyperkinetic, endlessly creative camerawork.

It’s good to see LaBeouf acting against something other than a giant CGI robot. He proves at last that those who retained their faith him, despite a string of regrettable films, did so with good reason.

Much credit for the film’s success is due to Michael Douglas reprising his most iconic role.

Gekko is now on the outside looking in, a humbled and forgotten man, and against our better judgment, our hearts go out to him.

But can we trust him?

“I will not sting you,” assured the scorpion to the fox when asking for a ride across a swollen river.

But, of course, halfway across the water, the scorpion impaled his spiked tale into the fox’s flesh.

When the dying fox asked why he would do such as thing, the scorpion replied, “I can’t help myself. It’s my nature.”

“WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS”

Cast: Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf, Frank Langella, Carey Mulligan, Josh Brolin, Susan Sarandon, Eli Wallach

Director: Oliver Stone

Theaters: Hollywood, Tinseltown, Carmike, Chapel Hills, Cinemark

Rated: PG-13 (for brief strong language and thematic elements)

Running Time: 2 hours, 7 minutes

GRADE: A-

Photo by 2010 20th Century Fox.