Review

Rating: 8/10 (18 January 2014)

I was intrigued to see this movie, as I love films around financial excesses, in fact any film about excesses and this did not disappoint. Then I did my research and noted it was directed by one of my favourites; Scorcese. It had all the ingredients of his previous films, a Goodfellas of fiscal greed with the same nuisances and peppered with similarities to the latter film. It was almost a penny stock pastiche. I have always loved Scorcese's style but it feels though it was gritty and shocking, in parts, lacks a little edge and style but more to this later. jonah Hill absolutely stole the show and for me makes the whole film. He was the quintessential fat friend who jokes around to DiCaprio's dashing lead. The sets were well done, the shocking boat scene was very realistic and you felt gripping all in all I think this film is quite iconic - a definite classic. It was brash and definitely split the audience, men loved it, women gasped, covered their eyes, turned away in parts, and men roared out loud laughing. I quite like the fact this was a boys film. Some parts had the shocking brutality you'd expect from Scorcese - true machismo grit.
The three hours flew but it would have been a ten out of ten, for these facts; Bit done with Leonardo DiCaprio's Tom-Cruiseesque acting cite him jumping on Oprah's sofa roaring acting moments. It lacks a bit of depth there, a gripping scene in which Jonah Hill is ill was really moving, raw and tinges of almost humour as you watched them so high you were laughing with them until tragic moments almost occur. But DiCaprio's divorce argument with second wife, though his wife was excellent and Karen Hill Bronx twang voice to match, but he just wasn't angry enough or dark enough or enough close ups on his face as his life unfolded.
Another thing missing and this is noticeable a strong musical element, perhaps this was intentional but it really didn't sweep you in, as say a monologue at the beginning of Goodfella, Ray Liotta stops talking directly into the camera...boom... da da da "I go from Rags to Riches". There are some of the best one liners I've heard in a movie in a long time, but the opening monologue is pretty poor, and so I must say is the ending. It just falls a bit flat. Go see it, but force the producers to cut in some classic movie gangster music here and there and some old classics. I loved it that much I'll keep the line "there's no nobility in poverty" on my DiCaprio and Hill framed print I'm making. The pairing of the two is iconic.