The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

I will try to write longer about this film at a later date. This short review will do for now.

Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio have collaborated numerous times in the past decade, but never have they come up with a more memorable creation than this fictional version of Jordan Belfort, the ostensible “protagonist” of the new film The Wolf of Wall Street. Belfort is the founder of Stratton Oakmont, a firm that deals mostly in penny stocks. Ever since he opened his firm out of the garage, Belfort has had one goal: take as much money from his clients as possible. His business is instantly successful, and over the course of several years he becomes something of an icon in his field. There is nothing honorable about what he does for a living, and even less is honorable about what he does in his off time. His is a life of partying, booze, drugs and prostitutes, and with The Wolf of Wall Street, Scorsese has made a hilarious, scathing film that isn’t about Belfort so much as it’s about a society that allows him to not only exist, but thrive. There will inevitably be much talk about whether the film presents Belfort as an aspirational figure, but in my eyes that’s missing the point. The Wolf of Wall Street is a film about Belfort being an aspirational figure, and over the course of three extravagant hours Scorsese viciously explores this demented version of the American dream.

There are many similarities to be drawn to Goodfellas here, especially in Belfort’s Henry Hill-esque “rise and fall” arc and the way Scorsese uses (and perhaps abuses) voiceover. However, Scorsese once again uses these familiar techniques to show the audience the allure of the lifestyle he is documenting. Much like in Goodfellas, Scorsese spends a great deal of time showing the audience why one would choose to enter Belfort’s line of work. It’s easy to see, since Stratton Oakmont is less an office than a nonstop party that also happens to make its employees way too much money. It may lack the classiness of Hill guiding his future wife into the Copacabana through the back door, but these people aren't as polite as most gangsters. Money is the most powerful drug in The Wolf of Wall Street, and Belfort says as much early in the film. He is addicted to his lifestyle, and even when those around him advise him to be cautious he almost never listens. Scorsese appropriately piles excess on top of excess to show that people like Belfort are unable to stop once they get going.

Many are already angry that Scorsese offers no explicit condemnation of Belfort, but he has never been one to offer easy solutions. The Wolf of Wall Street is about more than just one man, but rather a larger disease that just so happened to choose Belfort as one of its victims. One of the most telling (and best) scenes comes early, as veteran stockbroker Mark Hanna (Matthew McConaughey) sits down with Belfort to discuss his future on Wall Street. In that scene, Belfort is still a kid, and a rather naïve one at that. Over the course of that meal, Hanna frankly and hilariously lays out the law of the land. Belfort is quickly hooked, and he never lets go. It all eventually goes wrong, of course, thanks to the tireless work of FBI agent Patrick Denham (Kyle Chandler). But even when everything is taken away, there are still millions out there who are willing to buy into what Belfort is selling. As the memorable final shot illustrates, many will always be unable to see past the illusion. In a year filled with movies about American exorbitance, it is only appropriate that Martin Scorsese gets the last word.

Grade: A