The Wolf of Wall Street Movie Review

Martin Scorsese is a master of the crime drama; time and time again he has woven detailed and thoroughly engaging criminal tales over the years that define standards in movie-making. He returns once again with ‘’The Wolf of Wall Street’’; arguably his most light-hearted (yet still crazily entertaining) film to date.

Based on the memoir of the same name; ‘’The Wolf of Wall Street’’ follows the life and times of Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) a stockbroker on Wall Street who with his company Stratton Oakmont cheated both the economic system and his own clients to become rich and corrupt with wealth beyond his wildest dreams. All the while, Belfort must attend to the needs of family, friends, and a prying FBI agent named Patrick Denham out to bust him (Kyle Chandler). The film takes place across many countries and several decades that chronicle Belfort’s rise and eventual fall in a similar way to Brian De Palma’s ‘’Scarface’’. Where Belfort’s memoir contained a serious account of his brushes with the law, Scorsese’s vision focuses on the opposite. ‘’The Wolf of Wall Street’’ is insanely over-the-top in every conceivable way; whether it’s the endless shouting, swearing, drug use and sex scenes or how Belfort’s company is quite literally degenerated into a pack of rabid wolves, the film is a testament to how having all this money can corrupt beyond belief. The only problem with all this madness is that it can become very exhausting; a good half of the film is spent watching Belfort and company going completely crazy at parties and in the office. A more serious tone does arrive later but for those who appreciate a more controlled and focused crime drama experience, ‘’The Wolf of Wall Street’’ will be rather jarring at first. Another niggling flaw is the theme of economics that persists through the film; unless you’re a stout follower of the topic, most of the financial tones will go right over your head.

There may be a large cast present but in truth ‘’The Wolf of Wall Street’’ is all about Jordan Belfort and Leonardo DiCaprio once again delivers a stellar performance all around. Belfort is a truly unforgettable character; his narrations of the plot draw you in and even though he spends most of the movie yelling through a microphone there’s also moments where he can show some emotion; the scene where he goes ballistic at the prospect of divorce is particularly strong. Though they never hold the spotlight for too long, the side characters are also solid, especially Jonah Hill who completely nails the drug-addled Donnie Azoff, Belfort’s right hand man. The other members of Stratton Oakmont stick to the basics; Jon Bernthal as a company courier, Jon Favreau as a security supervisor, and Rob Reiner as Belfort’s father among others round off the cast and they play off the main leads well enough, making their presence known whilst never distracting from DiCaprio and Hill. These performances comes at a contrast with Kyle Chandler who is much more stable but often ruthless in his pursuit of Belfort and his cohorts. The writing as with many Scorsese films is sharp, witty and in this case possessed with a great sense of humour; in keeping with the film’s over-the-top vibe the banter between characters and drug-infused shenanigans will often bring a chuckle from many a viewer. But the conversations also work to the film’s detriment; there is a great deal of talking and arguing in the movie and sometimes the voices of the characters can drone on for a bit too long, unnecessarily lengthening the film when the next major plot-line could be brought in.

‘’The Wolf of Wall Street’’ may not be Scorsese’s best film but with a brilliant performance from DiCaprio and an all-around crazy vibe, it’s another entertaining and downright hilarious movie primed to entertain.

Rating: 4/5 Stars