Good acting overshadowed by bad directing and predictable script.

Rating: 3/10 (7 January 2014)

I give DiCaprio a thumbs up for his impeccable portrayal of the perpetually greedy Jordan Belfort, but overall I disliked the movie. This is based on the memoirs of Jordan Belfort, a notorious stockbroker and self-made millionaire who's penny stock brokerage defrauded 1,500 clients of $200 million during the 1990's. He used aggressive sales tactics and adrenaline charged locker room motivational chants to persuade his vagabond group of 1,000 wannabes to follow his lead, get rich at any cost, especially to the client, and make a name for their brokerage, Stratton Oakmont. At three hours the movie is overly long given the numerous scenes of drug use, drinking, sex and raucous office parties, not to mention the nonstop foul language throughout. One clearly gets the message that Mr. Belfort is a debaucher, gluttonous, disloyal, lewd, immoral, fanatical, corrupt, demanding and ambitious, hence the title. Two hours would have been sufficient for this intense roller coaster ride of greed. I wonder if Mr. Scorsese is vicariously trying to relive the wild '60's in this film.