Scorcese At The Height Of His Prowess

Rating: 10/10 (10 January 2014)

I can't compliment this movie enough:
from start to finish it's just one extremely powerfully photographed, acted, edited piece of cinematic art.
DiCaprio shows once again why he deserves to be considered one of the greatest actors...in my opinion this is his greatest work to date. He captures a character--whether it's an accurate portrayal of the actual Jordan Belfort or interpretive it doesn't matter---and stays perfectly within that character. His emotional state is always contextually spot on: he reflects the human condition about as well as it can be done. One of the things I love about DiCaprio is his underscoring vulnerability---even when he's portraying someone caught in the throes of emboldening power. In the case of Belfort that vulnerability is often buried beneath the narcissistic entitlement, but this is the power of DiCaprio's performance....that he allows us to see within, past the superficial social self, to the incomplete child self whose wants and needs drive Belfort past normal boundaries, destructively so.
Supporting cast: perfect. Editing: perfect. Cinematography: perfect. Directing: perfect.
I'd like to single out all the other actors in this for their contributions---even in the large crowd scenes I saw not a single person who seemed not to be appropriately in character to the scene---but ALL of them are worthy commendation. Matthew McConnaghy in his relatively small appearance is fascinating. He, too, is a very polished actor at this stage in his career, and convincing as hell playing a sleazeball broker who advises a young colleague what's important to them.
I partially did not want to see this movie because of the greed-driven people on Wall St who perpetrated the largest theft in history and who virtually have seized control of the US Government, not wanting to immerse myself anymore in seeing them in action-----but I was glad I saw it. The debauchery, the sybaritic Caligulan disregard of all morality was eye-opening, even to me, and I thought I was pretty blase at this point about the lifestyles of privileged hedonistic addicts after years of exposure to seeing and reading about these a-holes: but it was edifying. I underestimated their debauchery, really underestimated it.
Watch "The Wolf Of Wall Street." One hell of a fine movie. One of the best ever.