Crazed Debauchery at it's Finest

Rating: 9/10 (2 August 2014)

Who doesn't love to watch rich people have all the fun us normal folks couldn't afford in our wildest dreams? Martin Scorsese gives us more than we can handle in THE WOLF OF WALL STREET, where an insane amount of time is given to reminding us how boring life is when you're trapped living paycheck to paycheck. The film claims not to be glorifying the lavish life of a criminal but, c'mon, no one can watch this film without at least a handful moments where you wish it were you in the scene. It's a surreal, drug-fueled odyssey of one conman's rise to the top and the non-stop party that went with it. It's based on the real life experiences of stockbroker Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio, in the film), how he became a multimillionaire at the expense of others, and his ultimate downfall when the FBI finally close in on him. Jordan starts at the bottom with a powerful Wall Street firm and, when a market crash ends with his dismissal, Belfort uses the knowledge he gained from his coked-out mentor (Matthew McConaughey, in a short cameo) and gathers a rag-tag crew to open his own firm where he starts pushing penny stocks to postmen and eventually upgrades to one of the most successful firms in America. His rise to power is meteoric, his illicit practices rake in millions, and he celebrates in the most illustrious ways imaginable. Drugs, cars, women, and more drugsBelfort's love of excess and insatiable desire for money and power will eventually result in his downfall. In the meantime, it's one crazy ride.
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET is an insane three hours in length but it really says something for the movie that you never once feel bored. There is always just so much going on; it's a rush. For the first act of the movie, we witness Jordan's beginnings in the world of Wall Street. At the start, he's just a young man with ideals and big dreams. He sees all the potential of a career in investing and dreams of providing a comfortable life for his beautiful wife. He quickly grabs the attention of big time broker Mark Hanna who gives him the rundown of how life on Wall Street really works. The secret ingredients to success are hookers, cocaine, and a talent for lying. Clients are nothing more than ATMs to line you pockets with their hard-earned cash under the impression that they might earn some extra cash for retirement. Belfort is a fast learner and uses his skills to traverse the criminal path, training an army of loyal minions and dazzling them with extravagant parties and loads of debauchery. The movie works because it gives the audience a chance to connect with Belfort in the beginning while he's still got some humanity left. By the time he goes over the edge, we're just having fun watching them toss little people and engage in coke-fueled orgies. Part of you almost wants Belfort to get away with it all because we're having fun just soaking it all in, but Belfort is still the villain.
It's not long before the FBI takes notice and Agent Patrick Denham (Kyle Chandler) is assigned to check into Belfort and his firm. He pops onto the scene about halfway into the movie but the investigation doesn't become the focus until much later, once we've about had our fill of craziness. I loved the whole cat-and-mouse game between Belfort and Denham. Belfort believed himself to powerful to fall and Denham bides his time, waiting for the proper moment to strike while gathering as much intel as he could. Belfort's biggest partner-in-crime is his friend Donnie Azoff (Jonah Hill). Dude, Hill was great. His character's a rat and probably more drunk on power than Belfort himself. He's careless and crass, and this is probably my favorite Jonah Hill performance. I haven't seen MONEYBALL so this was my first exposure to Hill's dramatic side (even if he's still the biggest clown in the film), and he's awesome. The rest of the cast is loaded with talent including Rob Reiner, Jon Favreau, and Jean Dujardin. With Scorsese at the helm, THE WOLF OF WALL STREET has an element of class juxtaposed with the constant barrage of nude women and drugs-crazed antics. I really loved this movie and find it an easy recommendation for anyone who was curious to see it. Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill are a fantastic team and Scorsese's film is, in a word, insane.