The Wolf of Wall Street

The first lines of The Wolf of Wall Street could easily have been “For as long as I can remember I always wanted to be a stockbroker”. Actually, that’s not quite true. Better yet, the first lines could have been “For as long as I can remember I always wanted to be rich” but even then, that doesn’t quite get to the heart of what Jordan Belfort is after. I think the line “For as long as I can remember I always wanted to be rich so I could do whatever I wanted” is more fitting. The film doesn’t have to say this line though, it conveys this much more effectively showing midgets being thrown at targets and cocaine being snorted off a hooker. The insanity and depravity is in full gear from the get go, it’s best to just strap in and enjoy the ride.

Wolf is less a movie about the inner workings of Wall Street and more about greed, excess, and ego. Belfort isn’t in pursuit of money for the sake of attaining the traditional American dream (nice house, white picket fence, etc.), he’s after the new American dream, power, money, and freedom to do as he pleases without thinking of the consequences. Long gone are the days of a man making an honest living, the only way to get ahead on Wall Street is to cheat and no one is better at that than Jordan Belfort. As someone who studied finance, this movie really shows all of the reasons why I didn’t want to pursue a career in stocks or on Wall Street.

DiCaprio plays Belfort perfectly. Charismatic, energizing, but at the same time shallow and manipulative. The way Leo gives his all for this role is remarkable. This is hands down the best he’s ever been. He’s fully committed to the big physical scenes, including what will surely be seen as one of the best drug related scenes in film, but also brings the nuance required to be convincing in some of the more emotional scenes. It’s hard not to feel pumped up when Belfort is motivating his brokers and that energy could have come off as trying too hard or stale in another actor’s hands but Leo brings the right level of enthusiasm without going over the top.

Excess is a strong theme throughout the film be it drugs, hookers, houses, yachts, cars and even the running time is a lofty three hours. What the film never is though is boring or preachy. Yes, it shows all sorts of acts of debauchery and the consequences of those acts but it never is melodramatic about them or even condemning. The film respects the viewer’s intelligence in handling these scenes of excess. It leaves it up to us, the audience to condemn or condone these acts. Many people respect and even worship those who make a lot of money and it’s important for films like this to exist to show that money alone doesn’t make a person worthy of respect.

What was most surprising about The Wolf of Wall Street is that it’s one of the funniest movies of the year, definitely the funniest that Scorsese has made (I know he’s not known for comedy but there is After Hours…and I think that’s it). All the actors are game for the crazy antics and help make things that are utterly ridiculous seem fairly normal. It’s refreshing to see Scorsese still make movies that are edgy and controversial. Some of his peers seem to have their craft diminish as they have gotten older but Scorsese is still a master and Wolf is an admirable entry in his already great filmography. This may be the most exhausting three hours I’ve spent all year at the movies but it was definitely the most fun.