Verdict:
Jordan Belfort defrauded his investors out of about 200M and has become an idol for some people and a meme for others. It is a question to some whether a guy like this deserves to be put in a spotlight, but the creators have done it in a very entertaining manner, with the character going through the full character arch, from a reserved young man to a more and more corrupt fraud, with his debauched lifestyle spiraling out of control. It is exceptionally enjoyable to watch this guy’s depraved antics and listen to his commentary.
Leonardo definitely makes this movie, but the others are great too. The fat and skittish Jonah Hill is hilarious. Jon Bernthal, with his awesome moustache, is not in the movie nearly enough. I was amazed at how they managed to perfectly describe his character in a scene that only lasted a few seconds. Margot Robbie, who plays Leonardo’s new wife, brings depth to her character, all the while the movie is well aware of her role is as eye candy.
The writing is amazing both in terms of humour and the portraying of the selfishness and pride of the main character. The humour is ingrained in the acting and all throughout Rodrigo Prieto’s cinematography. They pulled everything out of the bag to make this motion picture entertaining and creative. The juxtaposition of excess on the one hand with moral and physical decay on the other hand is clever and effective, though perhaps excessive.
The crazy does get a little old. This movie has many inventive and fun looking scenes, but the over-saturated drug-induced scenes get old after the third time you see them and start losing their effect. Also, seeing how much drugs the main character takes, it is clear that this film takes creative license with the realities of drug abuse.
It should be noted that, although Wall of Wallstreet is a finance-related movie, it isn’t for anyone who puts hard work in the corporate finance sector, unless they somehow misunderstand the point of the film, which is the same as for every other film about finance released by Hollywood: underlining the greed and moral decay of business. The brilliantly acted scene with Matthew McConaughey shows just how cynical this movie is. The good guy here, the detective who puts Jordan away, is the one who rides the metro home, down there with the rest of people whom he protects. This is only natural, I suppose. Artists are not the people to ask for respect of the financial world.
Excellent visual storytelling ensures that this is one of Scorsese’s best films. But really, I was just having fun watching Leonardo Di’Caprio chew the scenery.