Hysterical, but not in a funny way..........

Rating: 5/10 (18 January 2014)

The one good thing about this film is Di Caprio - as usual he is excellent and never fails to entertain. The film itself is fatally flawed; the characters are very one dimensional and the leading character, brilliantly played by Leonardo Di Caprio, is a sleazy and obnoxious parasite for whom it is very difficult to develop any sympathy whatsoever. Scorsese is used to handling such individuals from his gangster epics but depicting Belfort as some kind of financial gangster somehow fails to convince me. Sure, there are some very funny scenes, but most of the story gets lost in over the top shouting, swearing and general hysteria. You can't help thinking that the main characters all belong in a lunatic asylum even before the film really gets going. No doubt the many Scorsese fans will praise him to the hilt, but this effort is a disappointment when compared to his many previous successes.