‘The Wolf of Wall Street’- Throwback Review: Scorsese’s Best of the 2010s

Money, drugs, sex, money, money, and more money. Why did I mention money more than twice? Because that’s the pattern in this that never got repetitive because this is highly entertaining. Before this, becoming a stockbroker working on Wall Street always seemed like a terrible job. But if it’s being depicted through the satirical lens of legendary director Martin Scorsese, it would be absolutely the best job to have in the world as shown in The Wolf of Wall Street, the late film I had to see in theaters at the end of 2013 and couldn’t believe how incredible this comedic biopic turned out to be, which adds perfectly to the likes his others films focusing on terrible individuals.

What’s the Story: Based on the 2007 memoir of the same name, this is about Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio), a man who started his career as a junior stockbroker in New York City, dreaming of becoming a wealthy man one day. Once he got his stockbroker license to show the world what he’s made of, he lost his job following the Black Monday market crash. Jordan gets another chance when he takes a job at a boiler room firm, making a killing in selling penny stakes. He and his pal Donnie Azoff (Jonah Hill) launched his brokerage firm on Long Island, Stratton Oakmont. Soon, the company became highly successful, making millions in their line of work, and robbing innocent people of their money. Amid the highs of taking drugs and mayhem, Jordan doesn’t know that it will crumble into the downfall of his glorious empire.

There were a few reasons this film was going to be something extraordinary:

This marked the fifth collaboration between DiCaprio and Scorsese
The first trailer slapped
It involves the shadiness of Wall Street
It’s freakin’ Scorsese

The Wolf of Wall Street examines the surroundings of Wall Street dangerously and intelligently delves primarily into the money pit and the excesses of wealth in the early to mid-90s. All of this is brought to life by the hands of Mr. Scorsese, a genius providing one of the most entertaining masterpieces he’s ever made that goes into the occasional themes associated with drama: Power, betrayal, twists, turns, etc.

A far cry compared to the underrated family drama Hugo (which should’ve won Best Picture), Scorsese isn’t primarily known for directing comedies unless it’s something like The King of Comedy or After Hours. However, his style worked tremendously in the funniest film he ever made. He makes the camera like his best friend as it has a connection, having the humor balance out the tone ideally. It’s very fast-paced for a three-hour-long film that doesn’t feel dull at any moment, to where you think you took a line of cocaine, fueled with adrenaline that never grows tired. There’s nobody else who would’ve handled this material. This brought on a real-life person like Jordan Belfort and made him both a good and bad guy.

As this was a true story, it’s unbelievable that all this outrageous stuff happened, especially in the 90’s. It isn’t effortless to call the real Jordan Belfort a hero who had everything the world could give him: A massive home, a family, employees kissing his feet. He seems like the most extraordinary man in the world, but we’re not supposed to view him as the good guy with his ego, never like the guy who thinks he did nothing wrong. The screenplay by Terence Winter (The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire) in adapting Belfort’s book is brilliant, showcasing some witty dialogue without all that confusing Wall Street jargon and keeping us thrilled with some memorable scenes where it’s just either people talking in very investing manners from the antics that come to mind.

Leonardo DiCaprio, who brought the idea to the director, never disappoints me with the roles he’s given. As Jordan Belfort, The Wolf of Wall Street proves why he’s one of our greatest actors decades later in what might be the best performance of his career. Throughout this, he wasn’t even acting. He became Belfort in how he knows how to cheat the people with his driving ambition to make his way to the top of Mount Everest while being the type of boss addicted to sex and drugs whenever he gets his hands on it. That’s how great he was. He was so invested that giving these “inspirational” speeches to the people was something out of a freakin’ seminar that’’ have me taking notes. Despite being an antihero, I wanted to cheer with everybody and berserk as rambunctious ensued. He’s pretty similar to his role as Frank Abagnale, Jr. in Catch Me If You Can, as both are pretty much swindlers in their line of work and despicable in how their personalities are portrayed. Also, he provides reliable narration in breaking the fourth wall that almost makes Ferris Bueller run for its money when pointing out the ins and outs of his life and the business we know damn well won’t be that important later on.

But he needs a great co-star to bounce off him, which comes from Jonah Hill’s performance as Donnie Azoff proves he’s still a comedic talent in all-time favorites like Superbad and showcasing it once again with more range than expected. I wasn’t one of those people who got sick of him because he sometimes plays the same character, but it’s better here since it wasn’t some mediocre, low-brow film. We all remember how unexpected his turn in Moneyball gave him his first Oscar nomination. But it can’t compare to here. He was hilarious and impulsive in all the scenes he’s in with his perfect east-coast accent and fake prosthetic teeth, a portrayal Danny Poruch didn’t find amusing. He’s Belfort’s right-hand man in this business and crazier than expected. Their chemistry with DiCaprio was on point.

And everything changed when Margot Robbie, the most beautiful actress to appear in a movie that year, was introduced to American audiences. She performed fantastic opposite DiCaprio when she pushed herself with him as Jordan’s second wife, Naomi, particularly when she managed a Brooklyn accent. Like everyone else, I didn’t know who she was, except she was Australian and looked like she could be Jamie Pressley’s younger sister. This breakout role completely changed her life and became everyone’s instant crush. Imagine how awkward it was seeing THAT scene with your mother sitting right next to you. Matthew McConaughey as Mark Hanna wasn’t in it that much, which was disappointing since his screen time was short, probably about ten minutes. However, the interaction between him and DiCaprio is memorable and helped start the entire film as McConaughey is a mentor to DiCaprio. I wanted more of him, but this small role alone added to his comeback that year.

Throwing back to the humor, this was funny. The lines that they gave the actors are incredible. There’s a scene involving characters taking expired quaaludes Lemmons, and the side effects of said drug kicking in make for the most hilarious high-octane laughs of the year based on how unexpectedly physical DiCaprio took it.

What The Wolf of Wall Street was going for is that it made it seem like the idea of getting everything you want with an easy pass. But most people don’t know the consequences that might follow. As told here, the American dream is based on actual events and what’s not for exaggerated purposes. Back then and now, working in an occupation like Wall Street never comes to mind because we all want to be swimming in the riches, but it might come at a heavy price. It may appear ambitious and dumb in the way it’s being presented. Is this for everyone? No. It might glorify all the sex, drug, and the heaping amount of profanity (506 F-bombs, to be exact) used, which causes many conversations about why it’s considered one of the most controversial films ever. But it is all for entertainment for some of us, and the fact it’s based on the real Belfort’s life makes it even crazier. Nobody who watches this will take a severe left turn in their life to become the next Jordan Belfort after what they eventually charged him with.

And though it’s right at three hours long, that can automatically be a problem, considering Scoreses’s films are typically around that runtime. Not here, as it was fast-paced, especially for the first two acts when it balances being a comedy, drama, and an epic all in one. But even when the story has to take a breath, including the scene where Jordan is talking to Kyle Chandler’s FBI Agent Patrick Denham on his yacht, you’re just wondering if he will get caught. And like I said, I caught this at ten in the morning during my Christmas break and couldn’t look away from start to finish. It was energetic in how it’s directed and tightly edited by Thelma Schoonmaker. With all the debauchery that was happening on-screen, this could’ve been an hour more, to be honest, and I’ll probably be okay with that.

Calling it for what this is: It’s a mixture of Goodfellas, Wall Street, and Catch Me If You Can. Combine those classics, and you get yourself a masterpiece on your hands. Thank goodness Paramount Pictures didn’t push it to early 2014 and released it around awards season, so I called it the best film of 2013. Thankfully, it caught the Academy’s attention, earning five Oscar nominations, showing the voters aren’t just the uppity types. The fact it was up for Best Picture, Best Director for Scorsese, Best Actor for DiCaprio, Supporting Actor for Hill, and Best Adapted Screenplay was a blessing. I believe DiCaprio would have come very close to winning if Dallas Buyers Club hadn’t come out that year, and this was the performance he should’ve won over The Revenant.

The Wolf of Wall Street is an incredibly energetic and hilarious biopic that’s entertaining and remarkable, making this another winner from the collaboration of Scorsese and DiCaprio that hasn’t failed us yet, with the actor’s large-than-life portrayal of the criminal stockbroker an all-timer. The lesson here is not to be inspired by the shenanigans throughout. But it makes for a great time ten years later.