Excess on '80 Wall Street

Rating: 9/10 (16 December 2018)

This film tells the story of Jordan Belfort and how he made the fortune that funded his life of excess. After a brief prologue where he explains that he made millions and consumed vast quantities of various drugs we return to his first day on Wall Street; he is on the bottom rung of the corporate ladder but he knows he wants to get to the top... then a market crash puts him out of work. Instead of working at a prestigious Wall Street firm he ends up pushing penny stocks, basically junk, to people who can't really afford the losses they will surely face. It is profitable though and he quickly realises he can make a real fortune selling junk to rich people. He teams up with similarly minded people and creates a 'respectable' firm; soon he is dubbed 'The Wolf of Wall Street' and everybody wants to work for him. He gets a new wife, a large yacht and does even more drugs... his main problem is how to secure his money so that the authorities can't get it when they finally catch up with him... and he knows they will one day if he isn't careful.
This film is all about excess; it could take a prurient view but instead it revels in it... Jordon Belford and his friends may be drug-taking womanisers were few if any morals but for three hours they are good company. Belford is a charismatic central character; at times he reminded me of Charles Foster Kane, from 'Citizen Kane' at other times he was more like Tony Montana from 'Scarface' without the violence. As fast as he rises it is clear that he will ultimately fall. Leonardo DiCaprio is on top form as Belford; I can only suspect that the amorality of the character stopped him getting major awards. The supporting cast is solid too; most notably Margot Robbie who is great as Naomi, Belford's second wife; and Jonah Hill as Donnie, his closest associate. It must be stated that this film isn't for the easily offended; there is prodigious swearing, lots of drug taking, a fair amount of sex and nudity and a small amount of violence... if you aren't offended by that it is a lot of fun. Given that I'd certainly recommend it to anybody wanting an entertaining romp of a movie.