Kinetic, spastic and hilarious peak behind the curtain of the debauch of the top 1%.

Rating: 9/10 (3 January 2014)

We must address two things when talking about "Wolf": first, the 3-hour runtime. That's long, and at points the film loses focus and wanders. Second: it's rated R, but the explicit amount of nudity, sex and drugs are tapping on the door of NC-17. However, "Wolf" is much more than these foibles. Bursting with life and youthfulness, "Wolf" is utterly and undeniably engrossing; a kinetic, spastic and hilarious peak behind the curtain of the debauch of America's top 1%. "Wolf" is the true story of Jordan Belfort, whose lack of morality helped make him and his friends some of the richest, shrewdest, and crudest brokers in the world. Every turn in the story is planted in some sort of sin, a chance to sell something to someone. And while the filmmakers are clearly condemning this behavior, in true Scorsese form he doesn't allow us to sit on our high horses above these people, but instead forces us into their environment, and at times even rooting for them. The performances are stunning. McConaughey is off-his-rocker brilliant. Hill is gone in his funny, neurotic role. At the center, Dicaprio gives his best performance to date, masterfully playing the monster behind everything with fervor and abandon. Add in the energetic editing and camera-work, "Wolf" contains some of the most memorable scenes of the year. This is first-rate, oddly refreshing filmmaking that sticks to your ribs. Scorsese has stayed current and relevant for going-on 5 decades, making films like an excited younger man is behind them. If not for the moments of unnecessary explicitness, this would be a nearly flawless masterpiece.