The Wolf of Wall Street

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I'll try to make this review shorter than the nearly 3-hour long Wolf of Wall Street. But, like the movie, regardless of length, I hope it will be worth your time. The movie is based on the true story of New York stockbroker Jordan Belfort. After the 1987 stock market crash, fresh-out-of-college Jordan (Leonardo DiCaprio) takes a job selling penny stocks. His prior experience on Wall Street earns him enormous profits. When he concludes that enough is never enough, he opens up his own firm with his neighbor Donnie (Jonah Hill).

The movie illustrates the idea that some roller coasters in life are ones you can't get off of so easily. Once Jordan's firm, which he names Stratton Oakmont, earns billions in revenue, the company expands, and Jordan's behaviors become rather racy. He begins using drugs and sleeping with prostitutes several times a day and divorces his good-natured wife to marry a model.

As expected, following years of being on top, The Man comes to bring Jordan down. In The Wolf of Wall Street, "The Man" is FBI Agent Patrick Denham. Jordan starts moving money around internationally, and when prompted to leave the company with what he's already made, he tells his employees that nothing will ever take him away from Stratton Oakmont. That is, except for corruption and ignorance.

DiCaprio delivers his usual effortless on-screen brilliance in this film, especially in the scenes that require most of him. Whether he's throwing himself down a flight of stairs and crawling into his car under the influence of aged drugs, telling colleagues to sell him a pen, giving the best motivational speeches I've ever seen on film, or punching his wife in the stomach, he, like Terence Winter's screenplay, is totally immersive. The movie is very long, and so naturally it slows down at points. However, thanks to DiCaprio, it never gets boring.

That doesn't mean I wouldn't cut some scenes from the movie. As time went by, I pinpointed a few scenes and made mental notes of which ones Scorsese could've cut without hearing much ruckus from the audience. One negative attribute was that with some of these unnecessary scenes, the extraordinary comedic setup was partially let down during its second half. I also wanted to see more from both of Jordan's wives and from his first boss (Matthew McConaughey), who gave Jordan tips on how hookers, coke, and whacking off are what keep all great stockbrokers sane. I have a feeling the character had a lot more to offer, and seeing him for only two scenes was a disappointment. Aside from DiCaprio and McConaughey, the rest of the cast excelled as well. Jonah Hill, Jon Bernthal, Jean Dujardin, and Kyle Chandler all surprised me with noteworthy performances unlike any other they had given in their careers.

The Wolf of Wall Street sells one of the year's best ensemble casts, screenplays and comedies. In short, it's one of the best of 2013, and although it could've been better, I'm happy with what Scorsese gave us.

Rating: 4.5/5