This 2013 film by Martin Scorsese is based on the book of
the same title by Jordan Belfort and tells the tale of Belfort's debauched rise
to fortune during the late 1980's. After being unlucky enough to start his
first day at a Wall Street firm on the day of the crash, Jordan (Leonardo
DiCaprio) starts again from the bottom finding employment at an investment firm
selling penny stocks. Unlike the high-end blue-chip stock, with a commission of
one percent, these terrible investments earn fifty percent commission. With his
incredibly persuasive sales technique and winning manner, Jordan is soon
pulling in big money. He enlists the help of Donnie Azoff (Jonah Hill) as the
two establish a boiler room firm of their own, rebranding themselves as
Stratton Oakmont and soon doing a roaring trade. Their questionable practices
soon brings the attention of the FBI to their door and they must fight to stay one
step ahead of the law, while enjoying the excesses of their immense wealth.
The film offers an incredible look into the drug-fuelled
hedonism of the 1980's stock-market lifestyle. A life marked by rampant
sex-drives, obscene drug-use, where morality is a dirty word and the only thing
that matters is making money. It goes out of its way to be entertaining, as we
see Jordan crashing his helicopter into his front lawn after earlier snorting
cocaine from between the buttocks of a prostitute. The film pushes the
boundaries of taste in a way that is spellbinding and the constant
foul-language almost seems like a sort of poetry. Almost every scene tops the
last in terms of vulgarity, smut, or downright silliness, although it is fair
to say that it has its serious moments. We do see the destructive nature of
Jordan's various addictions, on his personal life and on himself, but overall
the film keeps it light and funny, offering us a wild ride through a world most
people will never experience first-hand. If there is one failing of the film it
is length. This is a story in serious need of an editor. Although I can't
really complain about any one individual scenes, there are several that either
repeat an idea, or go on a little too long. The latter half of the film in particular
starts to suffer by attempting to almost give a blow-by-blow account of what
eventually brought down the man they called "The Wolf of Wall
Street", and casts off its more irreverent tone for an almost docu-drama
style retelling of events. The cast do a fantastic job, and it's easy to see
that Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, and Margot Robbie (who plays Belfort's
wife) were relishing their roles here as essentially overgrown children.
The film is essentially a black comedy, and largely steers
clear of making any moral judgement on its characters (although it's probably
not too difficult for the audience to make up their minds concerning the
various things they get up to). It is a great counterpoint to films that show
the darker side of capitalism, this film shows it entirely from the point of
view of those who benefitted from the greed and illegal activities, the
hilarity, and complete lack of care for those suffering because of it. Martin
Scorsese does a fantastic job of directing and the cinematography by Rodrigo
Prieto creates a world that almost shimmers with money, from penthouse
apartments, expensive yachts, and lush country estates. They really take you
inside this world, whether it's the high-energy, overwhelming office orgies,
various drug experimentation, or more sedate business meetings. Overlong by a
good half hour if not more, the film nevertheless is a masterpiece of no-limits
film making that is not soon forgotten once you've seen it.
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