Review: The Wolf of Wall Street

Paramount Pictures

Remember Goodfellas? Remember how that movie transported you into the mafia world of ritzy homes, cars, restaurants, clothes, along with the betrayal, murder, violence? And who could forget that shocking opening scene where Joe Pesci stabs a badly beaten man in the trunk of a car repeatedly with a giant kitchen knife. That movie knew how to shock and entertain unlike any other with brilliant pacing, characters, and multiple unforgettable scenes. Before Goodfellas arrived in 1990, The Godfather stilled ruled the cinema of mafia movies, but Goodfellas put a new twisted edge on things that one might even call comical. Sort of a twisted sense of humor behind Pesci's shocking violence and Ray Liotta's manic paranoia.

And that is all thanks to the legendary talents of Martin Scorsese. Scorsese has been making movies since the early 70s and amazingly enough has only won best director once with The Departed in 2006. There's a sleekness and pacing to Scorsese's films that is undeniable but oft imitated (most recently with American Hustle). However, he's been on a sort of experimental road recently with Shutter Island and Hugo, both quite unusual films for him but both quite good. Still, they weren't like the Scorsese films of old. It seemed that once he finally won an Oscar he decided to let loose for a little while and try something different.

Paramount Pictures

Well I am pleased to announce that the Scorsese of Goodfellas, Casino, and The Departed is back in full form with the publicly hated but critically lauded The Wolf of Wall Street. When pre-production first began on the script, producer and star of the film Leonardo Dicaprio wasn't sure they'd be able to find a studio willing to fund a project that he thought was likely to get an NC-17 rating. But of course, Scorsese wound up willing to direct and put his name on the project which is just what the film needed. After initial filming was complete and editing commenced, Scorsese found himself with around 5 hours of footage that he couldn't see cutting out. Fortunately enough, his long time editor and 3-time Oscar winner Thelma Schoonmaker helped him cut the film down to 3 hours. Anyone used to Scorsese's films knows they generally run long, but 3 hours? At first, I didn't know if I could handle 3 hours of watching Dicaprio cuss, drink, bang prostititues, and do drugs, because according to everyone's early reactions, that's exactly what the film was.

All I can say is that felt like the shortest 3 hour movie of my life. The Wolf of Wall Street thrusts you head first into the rise, success, and fall of criminal stockbroker Jordan Belfort (Dicaprio) at a breakneck pace that is chocked full of one unforgettable scene after another. It's true, there isn't a whole lot more to the events of the film other than Belfort and his compatriots (namely Jonah Hill in a truly talented turn of acting) being generally awful people. Still, I laughed more during this film than any other this year. It's all presented in the most absurd way thanks to the talents of Scorsese and his team that one can't help but laugh, and it's all the more ridiculous when it's all based on the memoirs of the real Belfort. Dicaprio delivers a wildly entertaining performance and is the heart and soul of the film. If this film wins for anything, it should be for his acting. Watching him in what I'll dub the "Lemmon 714" scene (those of you who have seen the film know what I mean) was probably the funniest thing I've seen all year and definitely goes on my list of top scenes of the year.

Paramount Pictures

But as neatly edited, finely paced, and uproariously entertaining everything was about this film, it felt a little too easy for Scorsese. He's been making movies for so long and several with very similar subject matter that constructing a film around Belfort's story did not seem so challenging for him. Like I said, it was fun to see Scorsese go back to his roots, but at the same time I was enjoying watching him experiment with films and genres outside of his normal repertoire. Still, it does take considerable talent to piece together a story based largely on alcohol and drug consumption and illegal stockbroking and make it so hilarious and entertaining.

And to all those people who protested the film or even banned it in some countries because of its content, you have no idea how to read a film. A lot of people claimed The Wolf of Wall Street was supporting the type of behavior it portrayed when in fact the film could not be more satirical and critical. It just does so in a way that is not the heavy-handedness that the kind of people who hated the film want to see. The last shot of the film in particular tells you all you need to know about Scorsese's intent, and let me tell you, he is not suggesting that what Belfort does is good or fun.

In the end the film is definitely a lesson in excess and a critique of what really is the "American dream" these days. It's an effortless return to form for Scorsese and a delightful one to witness even if it is one hell of a ride through disgusting debauchery and selfishness that is somehow oh so fun to watch. And that's what makes the film so good.