Scorcese's best film

Rating: 10/10 (27 December 2013)

This is not just the best film of the year, it is unquestionably one of the best films I've ever seen. Every scene, every shot, every performance is about as good as it gets. Standing out of course are DiCaprio and Hill. Hill transforms himself in this film but DiCaprio gives the best performance of his career. He jumped head first into the role and there isn't one moment that you are watching this where you feel like you are watching Leonardo DiCaprio. What you are seeing on screen is Jordan Belfort. He is brave, brilliant and fearless. Snort coke off a hookers breasts? No problem. Blow coke into a hookers ass? He does that. Give rousing speeches that compel me, the viewer, want to work for him? It's in here. Dance, get naked, party, crawl around like a baby, cry, show vulnerability, it's all in here. It is one of, if not the best performance in a film I have ever seen. DiCaprio is good in everything I have seen him in, but he has taken the extra step here. He knows Jordan Belfort. There is a scene where he crawls around on the floor for 10 minutes in a drug induced paralysis and it will go down as not only the scene of the year (along with the ejaculation discussion in This is the End) but one of the most messed up but brilliant scenes in film history.
When DiCaprio first came on the scene, his talent was easily seen. Then he did Titanic and became a heart-throb to teenage girls. But he's never just let loose like this. Scorcese did it with Pesci and Liotta in Goodfellas and he has done in Wolf with DiCaprio. He holds nothing back and just goes for it all. DiCaprio worked on getting this made for 6 years. It has paid off handsomely for him. You can tell he dove into this role and just let whatever inhibitions he had, check themselves at the door. Once the cameras rolled and he had to do all the crazy stuff that was required of him, he just did it. The film is memorable for many reasons but none more than his fearless performance. In my opinion, this is one of the best performances in any film.
This is the Goodfellas of the 2000's. It's created from the same palette that made Goodfellas. It's long but never boring and it's so entertaining and funny and exhilarating that I hope the 4 hour cut we have heard about does find it's way to the DVD. I'm not sure yet if this is better than Scorcese's opus, Goodfellas, but it is certainly on par with it. I don't know if the academy is going to be progressive enough to reward this film with what it deserves, but in time, regardless of the awards, it will be remembered as one of the great films in the annals of film history.
It has to be said that the movie makes you kind of envious of the lifestyle these guys lead. Their life is a party. They make 22 million dollars in three hours and then spend the next 12 hours snorting coke, swallowing quaaludes, banging the hottest strippers and hookers around, flying in private jets and spending 2 million dollars on bachelor parties. Their life is a fairy tale and it makes you a little sad that after you leave the theatre you have to go back to your 9-5 existence. This world is full of excess and debauchery but damn it looks like fun.
IMO, this is the best film of the year and it has the best performance of the year and it's not even close. I understand this will not be a film for everyone's liking but it is undeniably hilarious, expertly directed, crisply edited and beautifully acted. And Margot Robbie is insanely sexy, insanely sexy.
10/10