MPAA Rating: R
Director: Martin Scorsese
FilmPulse Score: 6.5/10
“If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
Not only does that statement apply to Jordan Belfort’s business practices, but it also applies to the all the hype surrounding Martin Scorsese’s latest effort, The Wolf of Wall Street. The true story of Belfort’s meteoric rise in the world of stock brokerage and his, inevitably downfall brought on by corruption, greed and a severely bloated ego. Yet, Scorsese’s film adaptation comes across as a lengthy, tourist ride through Belfort’s excess-fest of a life at the top.
In short, it’s a 3 hour cinematic orgy of sex, drugs and debauchery with occasional breaks for drawn-out conversations on topics such as dwarf tossing, pubic hair, restaurant sides or how one would deal with a mentally-handicapped inbred child.
The entire affair quickly wears out its welcome eroding into a repetitive, one-dimensional character study of a delusional man with unlimited wealth which only equals his unlimited appetite for sex, drugs and a never-ending array of deplorable behavior. Scorsese, himself, seems to get caught up in the excess of Belfort’s life by overusing a number of his signature traits; his tiresomely taxing use of inner dialogue/voice-over needlessly explaining the feelings or motives certain characters amidst their interactions, come across as an irritating attempt at humorous, self-aware commentary.
There does happen to be some subtext within the film, although, unfortunately it’s buried under a giant mound of cocaine, Quaaludes and prostitutes; or, perhaps, it’s rendered silent by all the manic, self-aggrandizing screaming and yelling fueled by the aforementioned mound. There are a small number of sequences that provide a contemplative commentary on the whole affair – Brad’s (Jon Bernthal) life being completely destroyed by Belfort’s drug-addled world of excess and incompetence, Danny Azoff’s (Jonah Hill) horrific, destructive influence on those around him, Belfort’s small exchange with Agent Denham (Kyle Chandler) about the bigger firms (Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, et. al.) doing far more damage than his relatively small scale operation. All of these instances, however, along with the inevitably betrayals are merely glossed over in favor for more flashy aspects; pushed out of the way to make room for more drugs, sex and out-of-control behavior.
The one thing that I think everyone can agree on though happens to be the top-notch performances, especially Leonardo DiCaprio in (what might be) his greatest role yet. DiCaprio is given free rein in the form of Jordan Belfort and he quickly capitalizes on the opportunity, imbuing every scene with an unbridled, cocaine-fueled emotional intensity. The entire supporting cast also happens to seize their respective opportunities with plenty of humor and/or emotion from Margot Robbie, Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, and Spike Jonze to Rob Reiner. There’s even a ragtag group of misfits that occasionally steal some scenes in the form of Rugrat (P.J. Byrne), Chester Ming (Kenneth Choi), Pinhead (Brian Sacca) and, of course, who could forget the Sea Otter (Henry Zabrowski).
Equal parts…captivating high-intensity entertainment and tediously repetitive, Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street is guaranteed to elicit some impassioned opinions, both positive and negative. DiCaprio’s standout performance, along with a stellar supporting cast, save this film from the excess-fest mess that it is; while, off-setting the stylistic choices – incessant voice-over/inner dialogue, the obnoxious score, the ugly action sequences and more – that could have otherwise completely ruined this film.
