Morality? You Be the Judge

Rating: 8/10 (1 February 2014)

It has been a major criticism of The Wolf of Wall Street that its main protagonist, the anti-hero, Jordan Belfort (Leonardo Dicaprio) is not seen to truly get his come-uppance. There has been a suggestion that the film is a glorification of his lifestyle and practices, that it, through not outwardly condemning them, tacitly supports them.
Such moral condemnation of literature and film is hardly new. The now largely forgotten Somerset Maugham – the most popular writer in the English language for much of the first half of the Twentieth Century - often faced similar criticism. Maugham's response never wavered. It was not his job as an author, he would state, to set the world to rights. He based his characters on people that he knew. He wrote of, and embellished, their faults and shortcomings. It was for his readers to make their own judgements and determine what was right, and what was wrong.
Director Martin Scorsese and scriptwriter Terence Winter seem to have adopted a similar line. They have simply told their version as they saw it: the story of a man corrupted by greed whose habit was fed by those who were only too keen to invest greedily in schemes where they thought they could make a quick, easy buck. It is ironic that many of those who now complain Belfort is portrayed too sympathetically were those investors prepared to do anything to get money apart from work for it. If Scorsese's film has a moral lesson, it is that people should not be seduced by the thought of soft profit. I suspect also, that Scorsese is of the opinion that nothing much has changed since the balloon went up with the GFC, that the fault lines remain in place for history to repeat itself. Wasn't it Sir Winston Churchill who stated that the only thing history ever teaches us, is that nobody ever learns from it.
So I would recommend you go and see The Wolf of Wall Street and make your own judgement as to its morality – don't rely on others to make that judgement call for you. It is a great piece of film-making which runs solidly for three hours during which the pace never slackens or dulls. It fascinates for its whole duration. Direction, script and cinematography are all spot on and the acting complements it well.
Leonardo Dicaprio is always at his best when playing larger than life characters and here is no exception. His charisma oozes from every pore and is essential to his characterisation – what conman was ever successful by being dour and self-deprecating? His skillful piece of acrobatic acting as he opened his car door with his foot when out of his mind on Quaaludes was laugh out loud funny.
The rest of the cast also rise to the occasion and there is a wonderful comic cameo from Joanna Lumley, as Belfont's aunt by marriage, whose major scene with Dicaprio is great fun, very much a highlight. Special mention also to Australian actor Margot Robbie as Belfont's second wife who holds her own opposite Dicaprio and never lets her accent slip.
Two criticisms – one more serious than the other.
The debauchery and female nudity were overdone. The solitary scene of a musical band of bare torsoed men seemed to be a contrivance and inserted simply to deflect such criticism. Much of the female nudity seemed only there for male titillation.
And a minor criticism of the otherwise excellent Jonah Hill, as Belfont's sidekick Donnie Azoff. Azoff was clearly a near chain-smoker. Yet Jonah Hill never looked comfortable holding a cigarette and was obviously faking the inhalation. Smokers (and ex-smokers) easily pick up on this and it's a distraction. Odd that the many, many scenes of coke snorting looked wholly realistic.
I have my doubts as to whether The Wolf of Wall Street has the gravitas to become a classic, but it is a highly enjoyable romp giving a good snapshot of the 'greed is good' culture which remains with us and is surely lurking, ready to bite with even greater effect next time round.