Shortest 3-hour film ever

Rating: 9/10 (7 April 2014)

This was an incredibly riveting movie. It was something like three hours long, but never seemed to drag on. The major criticism of this film is it's graphic vulgarity. Quite simply, it's crazy, raunchy and over-the- top. But if you come in preparing your eyes for total and utter craziness, it's not so bad.
Beyond all the constant drugs and sex, is a complex main character (Jordan Belford played by Leo) with as many flaws as talents. In the end, it was his innate ability to motivate and sell that brought him to the top, but his demons that brought him down. Isn't this true for anyone? We all have our talents, but we all have our struggles. And no matter how much money and power you have, you can be brought down by your weaknesses. In Belford's case, it was drug-abuse and confused moral compass that ultimately crumbled his empire.
From what I understand, much of what happened in The Wolf of Wall Street stays true to his memoir of the same title. However, it can be debated how much of the details in the memoir actually happened considering how much he was under the influence of powerful drugs during his "peak" years. What cannot be debated is the millions and millions of dollars he and his company, Stratton and Oakmont, swindled form the pockets of naive investors. This story line alone keeps the movie steering forward with details of drugs and sex splashed in mainly for entertainment.