The Wolf of Wall Street
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street is a biopic following the life of stockbroker Jordan Belfort’s (Leonardo DiCaprio) illegal company and personal life, including his drug addiction, high number of sexual partners, and his wives.
The film begins with Belfort at age 22 and his first job on Wall Street. When that job fails due to a stock market blunder, he finds a penny stockbroker job and discovers the perfect illegal loophole to making money on Wall Street. Belfort and his business partner, Donnie Azoff (Jonah Hill), soon discover that no loophole remains undetected by the FBI.
Although the movie has an interesting moral about the “wolves” of the business world, it is difficult to enjoy. The movie runs just shy of three hours and contains numerous unneeded and overly elongated scenes.
The vulgarity present in the film is too exaggerated for the message being portrayed and is offensive for spectators. It is particularly offensive for female audiences. There are a few women represented on screen who are merely presented as sexual objects for Belfort and his businessmen. While these scenes do add to the intention of the film, they make the film challenging to finish without feeling violated at one point or another.
The aesthetics of the film are controversial. The humour is aggressive and the music often unsupported. The comedy is funny at times, but at others it makes the audience cringe.
The music is primarily pop songs rather than a score. Some songs used are ineffective with the scene they are chosen for, but others work well. They are hit and miss.
The saving grace to the film, and its faults, is its cast. Hollywood’s ladies’ man DiCaprio plays the film’s lead and does an impeccable job. The character ranges from modest, to obnoxious, to devastated, to heavily drugged. DiCaprio’s charisma makes his character mesmerizing to watch as he tackles the business world. He delivers an outstanding performance that exceeds the audience’s already high expectations.
Breaking away from his less prestigious Hollywood roles is Jonah Hill. Hill’s comedic timing is well-received and he plays the character well. He does not “wow” the audience with his talent but does his job effectively. His chemistry with DiCaprio is great and does not fall short in comparison to his critically acclaimed on-screen partner.
The surprising talent came from Matthew McConaughey’s brief appearance. He plays Belfort’s first Wall Street boss, Mark Hanna. His role in the film lasts roughly 10 minutes but is exceptionally memorable. It’s a snappy, vivacious role that helps inspire Belfort’s character in the business world.
The Wolf of Wall Street is the epitome of a “boys’ club” movie. It represents men as the centre of the business world and women as their weak-willed sexual outlets. Its boys’ club image does convey an intriguing message about the United States and its business world but requires the audience to have a strong stomach and flexible morals. While the film is worth seeing, its shelf-life is limited.
