Applause or Aghast?

Rating: 7/10 (8 January 2014)

Recently got conned into watching "Wolf of Wall Street" with a colleague who begged for company so that he does not have to watch it alone. Sucker that I am, I went along to do the good deed of the day without really knowing what the story was all about
The Wolf of Wall Street is based on this true story about Jordan Belford and how he successfully manages to dupe millions of their money in his company Stratton. While the story is fast paced and aggressive, the audience are riveted to a cleverly narrated and beautifully depicted story.
But what worries me is that, the movie shows Jordan as a hero, as charming charismatic and likable man, when he was actually a sociopath, and a thief who committed fraud worth more than $200 mil. It glorifies his drug addition and his womanizing ways is seen as desirable and resultant of success. The lack of conscience while duping his clients is portrayed in a fascinating and morbidly motivating sort of way. In this world where values are relative, this movie makes a perfect mockery of the debilitating moral fabric of our society. We, the audience, should have found the entire act repugnant and distasteful,but instead find it funny and worth emulating.
In the end I did not know whether to applaud Jordan Belfort or to be appalled by him. But glad I am, despite some embarrassment, that my colleague duped me into seeing the movie