“The Wolf of Wall Street” Movie Review

After watching “The Wolf of Wall Street”, the first thing that came to mind is – “Martin Scorcese is 72 years old, and he’s still got it!” Not that there was any doubt. He is one of those directors whose name assures that it’s going to be a fun time at the movies. And “The Wolf of Wall Street” is just so much fun.

“The Wolf of Wall Street” chronicles the meteoric rise of Jordan Belfort and his firm Stratton Oakmont, and his subsequent fall from grace. And, all the debauchery and craziness along the way. Jordan Belfort (Leonardo Di Caprio) starts off as a broker in New York, and after being laid off after the Black Monday of 1987; uses his wits and a motley crew including Donnie Azoff (Jonah Hill) to start his own firm. By dumping penny stocks onto unsuspecting investors, he earns a fortune and gets dubbed ‘The Wolf’. It’s not long before he catches the eye of the FBI, and is pursued by the relentless Agent Denham (Kyle Chandler). Throw in between all the drugs, his relation with his mercurial second wife Naomi (Margot Robbie), his ‘angry at the drop of a hat’ father “Mad” Max (Rob Reiner) and a slew of other equally quirky characters and sequences into the mix, and you get a heady concoction that can best be described as a guilty pleasure like no other.

Scorcese’s stamp of class is all over this movie, and this is arguably the movie’s greatest strength. There is a manic energy about the proceedings, and Scorcese pulls out all the stops to show the excessive and indulgent lifestyles led by Jordan and his cohorts. Some scenes would just shock your socks off (despite the movie being censored in India) with the sheer audacity of the makers – there seems to be an extra effort to highlight the insensitivity of the characters to dwarfs, homosexuals and almost anyone other than themselves. There are some laugh out (really loud) moments – I was rolling over laughing in pretty much all of the scenes – but particular mention to the scene where Donny has a confrontation at a parking lot with Brad; and the entire sequence which I can only call the “Popeye” scene (you can’t miss it). Not to mention the scene where Belfort tries to take his ship to Monaco in rough waters… Or anytime Belfort takes the mike to motivate his employees. Safe to say, there are enough moments to keep audiences riveted.

However, all the fun and games dilutes the seriousness of the issue of securities fraud, to a point that some people would feel that the movie actually promotes the lifestyle the protagonists lead. The fall from grace feels like an afterthought, and honestly, hampers the pace as it’s not nearly as fun. I also felt that it would have added something if the script had included more details on the different ways how Belfort actually made his money, rather than just focus on how he blew it (pun intended). It looks like the makers felt it would slow down proceedings and confuse viewers, though I would have to disagree. But these are minor glitches in the fun rollercoaster ride.

The movie benefits from the unbridled performances from its two main players – Leonardo Di Caprio and Jonah Hill. Di Caprio, in his fifth collaboration with Scorcese, pulls off a magic act, portraying Belfort as an off-the-rocker, eccentric player, and gets viewers to invest in Belfort despite all his flaws. This performance could finally get Di Caprio the Oscar that has eluded him so far – it’s definitely a deserving performance. He shares excellent chemistry with Jonah Hill, who is in fine form as the even crazier Azoff. The supporting cast is also really good and adds to the movie. And I just have to mention Matthew McConaughey who leaves a lasting impression with literally one brilliant scene (pretty much the only scene he is in). You have to see it to believe it.

My final verdict is simple – “The Wolf of Wall Street” may not be for everyone as it pushes virtually every envelope there is, but very few can deny that it is a lot of fun. And for me, that warrants a trip to the movies.