Mixed emotions

Rating: 6/10 (18 January 2014)

Went to see this film in its opening week since I have friends in the stockbroking world. I gotta say - this is way over the top. This film is the very definition of the kind of debauchery that MALEkind can muster akin to going to Africa to shoot elephants for the fun of it, or starting a paedo ring just because they can.
Did there have to be nearly 3 hours of unleashed debauchery to get the message across? No. We got the idea from the opening scenes. So, basically, Scorsese turns us, the audience, into bystanders who witnessed misogyny, drug addicts, sex addicts and the heartless conning and exploitation of the working and middle classes because they are 'too dumb' to know any better.
On the other hand, (my intellect kicks in to protect me from all the disgust), it is a black comedy (I assure myself). This genre contains exaggerations, caricatures and highly unlikely situations, and exists to twist and turn out emotions in various directions. That it does!
No doubt, this film is riding on the current public's vilification of bankers and stockbrokers. But, I hate to burst everyone's stereotyped bubbled: it just isn't like that in the stockbroking world these days. It hasn't been like that for the vast majority. But then, maybe the film is a general statement about society's greed in general, and how it has gotten out of hand.....even in Hollywood. At one point, it entered my mind that maybe some of the scenes in this film were taken from the lifestyles of celebrities in Hollywood!
DiCaprio is VERY good in this film. Jonas Hill's character got on my nerves as the obligatory friend that gets DiCaprio into more degradation than he would otherwise.
DiCaprio deserves on Oscar for his role; he was amazing whether he was giving an impassioned speech or alone, writhing on the floor recovering from his latest drug stupor. Fantastic.