This is a dirty and disgusting piece of cinema and you need to see this movie right now. That’s it. That is all you need to know. The Wolf Of Wall Street is one of the movies of the year, and I don’t care if it’s January. This is going to feature in a lot of Top 5s by year end!
Directed by Martin Scorsese, The Wolf Of Wall Street is based on the true story of Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio), a stock broker and how he made insane amounts of money by defrauding investors, in a massive securities scam that involved copious amounts of corruption on Wall Street. With serious wads of cash comes some serious debauchery and luxury, and Belfort lived life to the maximum. From gigantic yachts and mansions to doing enough drugs that would have killed a large herd of elephants, this guy had it all and did it all. Scorsese, working off a screenplay from Terrence Winter (based on Belfort’s own book), brings the audience into this insane world of opulence and indulgence with blistering pace and big laughs around nearly every corner.
Firstly, this isn’t a movie for the faint at heart or the easily offended. The F-bomb is dropped over 500 times in the 3 hour running time, not to mention that theres more tits and ass on display here, than on your average web browser late at night! From gay orgies to private jet orgies, nothing is left to the imagination here. And that’s before you get to the drug use. From ludes to cocaine; the amount of narcotics that Belfort uses is frightening. He’s doing drugs everywhere, from the work place to snorting coke out of a hookers ass. And while glorifying drug usage, the consequences are absolutely hilarious alot of the time and then on occasion they get terrifying.
Marking the fifth time Leonardo DiCaprio has worked with Martin Scorsese, The Wolf Of Wall Street is their finest collaboration to date. DiCaprio has just absorbed himself into the role and is incredibly charming. The way he narrates some of the scenes gives the character so much likeability, its easy to see how so many people were conned if Belfort was any way like this in reality. It’s also a brave performance and theres some serious acting prowess on display as Belfort goes to some incredibly dark places. During the insanity during the latter half of the movie, the performance is so convincing that you don’t really see DiCaprio any more. You just see a man obsessed.
Jonah Hill (whos just been nominated for an Oscar for his role) pulls off the best performance of his career. He convinces Belfort to give him a job and embarks on the same journey of insanity, where one of the highlights include him masturbating, publically at a pool party. Hill is really starting to evolve as a serious actor and this is a brilliant showcase for what he can do. With a supporting cast that includes a superb Matthew McConaughey (shamefully he has limited screen time), Kyle Chandler, Margot Robbie, Jon Dujardin, Jon Favreau and Joanna Lumley, you really do have a fantastic cast with all of them never missing a beat!
Martin Scorsese brings the audience on an incredibly ride here. At times its like a fly on the wall documentary, other times its a laugh out loud comedy and ultimately, this is nothing but sheer mesmerising entertainment. The 71 year old director should be very proud of what he’s achieved here. The Wolf Of Wall Street ranks as on of the directors best works. But the real pièce de résistance comes in the final shot. The long, lingering final shot tells you everything you need to know! Phenomenal stuff. Oh and is that Martin Scorsese doing a vocal cameo on the end of a phone when Belfort sets up in Long Island near the beginning. I think it is!!
If I had one criticism, its that some of the scenes seem a bit shortened, and given the original cut was four hours it was out of necessity more than anything else I’d imagine . I can only pray that an extended edition hits Blu-Ray in the next few months. Its very, very rare that you don’t want a movie to end. And this is one of them!! Strangely, you will feel inspired when the credits roll and be ready to take on the world. You’ll also feel a bit guilty and dirty. But you know what, feeling guilty and dirty has never felt so good!This is one Wolf you certainly don’t want to keep from the door! Superb!
