THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET Review

By Darin Skaggs

     The opening scene of Martin Scorsese’s new film The Wolf of Wall Street contains big time celebrity Leonardo DiCaprio surrounded by many enthusiastic adults.  They are extremely excited because DiCaprio who plays real life criminal Jordan Belfort, is tossing a dwarf in Velcro towards a large target.  The film goes from there, of course getting crazier and crazier.

     The film is about the story of, like I said, Jordan Belfort who spends his life trying to make as much money as he can.  The way he starts this is becoming a stockbroker on Wall Street.  He learns the way to scam the people into buying stocks.  The first day of his promotion the stocks go down more than they ever have before.  This is called Black Monday.  He loses his job but determined to make money he gets a job in a rundown stockbroker firm.  He then sets out to make his own company and swiftly becomes one of the more successful firms.  Several people join him in his journey including Donnie Azoff, played by Jonah Hill. 

With actors like Hill and a hilarious cameo by Matthew Maconaughey as the man that teaches Belfort everything he knows the film really folds out to be a comedy more than a drama.  The film is so funny, definitely one of the funniest films of the year.  DiCaprio, who is not doing his normal quiet sad character, is the king of comedy in the film.   He is constantly making “motivational” speeches in his firm and does it screaming at the top of his lungs to “pick up the phone.”  There is one scene where he takes too many drugs and cannot talk or physically stand on his own.  So, he crawls to his car and drives it home.  This is one of the highlights of the film.

The characters do a lot of drugs.  They also have a lot of sex.  They also spend tons and tons of money.  All the characters in the film are essentially living out the male fantasy and the film successfully keeps up this attitude for about two hours and fifteen minutes of this three hour film.  This film does not back down from fulfilling that mission.  The film has constant swearing.  There is a lot of nudity and the drug use scenes are just as graphic as the nudity.  This might, no will, turn off audience members but much like this year’s Spring Breakers all the information has to be no-holds-barred to prove the point of the film. 

The whole point of the film is not really that this behavior is bad.  In no way does the film support all the actions of these people.  The film says that you can live this way, sex with several hot women a week, buying big houses and cool cars, all the drugs your messed up mind can imagine.  You can live that way and you may or may not hit rock bottom, that doesn’t matter, but you will truly never be happy.  You will never have what truly matters, a home.  This is examined in the third half of the film dealing with Belfort’s family and friends and how they won’t be there if you act like this man.

The antagonist, or protagonist depending on how you view the lead, is played by Kyle Chandler of Friday Night Lights fame.  He plays FBI agent Patrick Denham.  Chandler gives his greatest and funniest film performance here.  There is a great scene on a boat with Chandler and DiCaprio talking about how the FBI will get him, because it is his job.  Even though you know what Belfort is doing is wrong, at some points you find yourself rooting for him anyway.  You will give in and be on the side of the feds but the film really makes you love Belfort like every other person in the film.

The film takes so many chances and holds absolutely nothing back.  Scorsese has not been on the top of his game in recent years, only having more than mediocre films.  Yet, this film is a return to form and could be called a comeback.  It is constantly uncomfortable, hilarious and insane.