The Wolf Eats Well

Rating: 9/10 (19 November 2014)

The greatest thing about this addictive, chaotic, machismo piece of beefcake movie magic, would have to be Scorsese's ability to slow down where it hurts, and show big moments in really long scenes. The life of Jordan Belfort is portrayed as a mélange of orgies, parties, business dealings, extortion, pure crime, and unabashed and unapologetic decadence. Even from the start of the film Belfort is unapologetic, which may be the true theme of the entire film. Though he feels neglectful of his family, irresponsible in his business dealings, and drug addled to the point of insanity, in the end he really feels unapologetic. Having a character like this is refreshing, since we haven't seen this level of criminality since Gordon Gekko. Not only is Belfort uncaring, but he traverses in a world of richness and depravity that we couldn't even handle. Scorsese takes his time, and creates big, beautiful set pieces, that take a lot of time and explain very little in terms of plot. These scenes are amazingly intricate and are some of the most memorable moments of the film. The entire sequence when Belfort (DiCaprio) is on lemons and has to make it home from the country club, could have been trimmed, but because Scorsese let it go on and on we got to appreciate the level of helplessness Belfort was going through. We saw his immaturity, his guilt, and his horror at the state of his life, and that can't be replicated in any one line of dialogue. The scene where they're speaking about the contract with the dwarfs and how they should have been treated, could have been cut easily, but it shows how Belfort and his associates treated those they could buy, and led to one of the funniest moments in the film. This film is downright hilarious at many points, especially when dealing in character development. Jonah Hill deserved that Best Supporting Oscar nomination, because he not only handles diverse moments of dramatic tension, but he's laugh out loud hilarious. Donnie Azoff could not have been played by a funnier person, or a better actor, and every time he's on screen it's another chance for us to see just how removed from reality these people really are. There's also a level of opulent violence that shifts underneath the surface that we don't always see, but we know it's there. While movies like "Scarface" put the prospect of violence in the forefront of your mind, "Wolf" builds its tension over time, until characters erupt. While Belfort may not be violent towards his wife throughout most of the film, he is emotionally abusive and their fights are temperamental. It makes that much more sense when things become physical. There were some excellent performances from many of the cast, especially DiCaprio in the lead role. While many of DiCaprio's roles kind of blend together for me, this was a truly unique, unequivocal performance. Belfort's brazen love for business, and building himself up to the highest level possible, is his undoing time and time again. He can't walk away, even when he's offered an out, only because of his pride. Even today Belfort makes his money easily, with a level of persuasion that can only be portrayed by DiCaprio. Hill is enigmatic and perfectly crazed as Azoff, Margot Robbie is a delight in her role as Belfort's second wife Naomi, Matthew McConaughey is just the right level of kooky misanthrope as Belfort's mentor in the beginning, Rob Reiner is perfect as Mad Max Belfort, a man who is always angry and always influenced by his son's schemes, and Kyle Chandler is a surprisingly entertaining choice for the FBI agent who takes Belfort down, commanding his time on screen with a very complex and layered performance. This isn't exactly a love letter to the world of Wall Street, or even to the lives of the rich and famous. We as the audience don't want to see Belfort succeed or fail, we just want to see what he does next. Belfort's life is so chaotic and crazed that he seems unreal in such a huge sense. Between the legions of hookers, the drugs, the money, and the antics of his entire office, the film plays more like the exploits Caligula than the playboy world of a charlatan like Belfort. For many, they found no insight into the moral capacity of the character. Without morality critics decided that this was a hollow perspective intent on showing indulgence. I disagree heartily, and would argue that this is much more a character study than anything. There's solid humor to this film, there's a decent level of character development, and for what it's worth, there doesn't need to be a moral. Scorsese shows us that these men exist, and they are getting away with everything, to the point where they can brag about it. Scorsese doesn't want us aligning ourselves with the likes of Belfort, and he certainly isn't legitimizing the exploits of his company. He set out to make a "ferocious" film, and he did just that, creating a black comedy that shows what modern day indulgences look like, and how they are being employed by everyone and anyone who can get their hands on their version of the American Dream.