Biting Satire of Eighties Greed

Rating: 5/10 (7 February 2014)

Following a similar thematic path to WALL STREET or (for older filmgoers) OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY, THE WOLF OF WALL STREET tells the story of Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio), whose spectacular rise to financial power and subsequent fall offers an object lesson in Eighties greed and rapacity. In terms of plot, Terence Winter's screenplay contains the usual clichés associated with movies of this type: the emphasis on conspicuous consumption, the wanton disregard of Belfort and his fellow-stockbrokers for the feelings of those around them; the brazen belief that the world is their oyster. It is the kind of world in which Michael Douglas's Gordon Gekko would not seem out of place. Visually speaking, Martin Scorsese's film is a treat: the cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto is stunning, with a series of fast cuts emphasizing the frenzied existence of those whose sole raison d'etre is the desire to make money. On the other hand, THE WOLF OF WALL STREET is far too long; there are too many moments where the characters exchange dialog without advancing the plot. It is a genre film, to be sure, but one that could have benefited from a more rigorous directorial hand.