Quite good

Rating: 7/10 (14 September 2019)

This film is based on the book by Jordan Belfort, a white-collar criminal who engaged in stock market fraud during the 1990s in New York. "The Wolf of Wall Street" is the fifth collaboration between director Martin Scorsese and actor Leonardo DiCaprio.
There is a guilty-pleasure element in watching this film where we witness absolute debauchery without having to face the same consequences as the participants. The addiction to greed and money is easily met with addictions to drugs and sex. Scorsese is a master in many engaging techniques including a fast pace, quick scene changes, managing crowd scenes, and giving what some would call a "dirty movie" the appearance of satire, mocking real-life hooligans who should not be given the time of day.
DiCaprio is superb in a very difficult role. There are other brief performances who shine as well. Matthew McConnaughey stands out in a very short performance as a sleazy mentor. Rob Reiner has an opening scene where he reacts angrily to the telephone ringing at an inconvenient time. This scene alone should go into a Hilarity Hall of Fame. I could hardly stop laughing at it.
This movie had the potential to be great but its effect is diluted partly due to its excessive length at three hours. While all scenes were great, the constant sleaziness becomes unwelcome at a certain point. The film was given a rightful rebuke for insufficient portrayal of the victims of Belfort's scams. Had there been more of this portrayal and less debauchery, the film would have been a more complete and greater work. Nevertheless, "The Wolf of Wall Street" deserves credit for rightly trashing one of the worst collectives of recent times: the relentless sales and marketing culture of the 1990s.